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Please note that this event will be updated with a full schedule soon.

Organisers

The conference is hosted by the network of excellence for Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage, which is supported by the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering at ������ý.   

Description

Join us for the Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage (SERCH) Conference, a one-day celebration of innovation, collaboration, and discovery at the crossroads of science, engineering, and cultural heritage. Taking place on Wednesday, 12 February 2025, in the heart of South Kensington, London, this dynamic event is your gateway to the latest advancements transforming how we understand, preserve, and share our global cultural legacy.

Hear from leading researchers and industry pioneers on groundbreaking projects and emerging trends. Explore innovative approaches and technologies enhancing conservation, restoration, and interpretation of cultural heritage. Connect with professionals, practitioners, and enthusiasts from across disciplines to forge impactful collaborations.

This year we will also be exploring the work of technicians within cultural heritage with our theme:

‘Science in Safe Hands’

Whether you’re a researcher, engineer, heritage practitioner, student, or simply passionate about the convergence of science and culture, SERCH 2025 promises to spark ideas, foster dialogue, and inspire the next wave of transformative work in this exciting field.

Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Location: G16 Lecture Theatre, South Kensington, London

Register now to secure your spot.

Schedule

• 09.30 – 10.30 – Registration
• 10.30-11.30 – Science and Engineering – Chair Dr Fabian Sorce, Teaching Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ������ý.
  • Welcome – Professor Ambrose Taylor, Professor of Materials Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ������ý and chair of the Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage network for excellence
  • Invited speakers – Johnny Brewin, Co-founder of Park Royal Open workshop, Alex Marsh, Director of Operations at Park Royal Open Workshops and Remade in Park Royal and Alex Rincon Delgado Workshop manager Park Royal Open Access “Building an innovation district from the bottom up”
  • Contributed Talk –Dr Elena Dieckmann, Lecturer in the Dyson School of Design Engineering at ������ý and , Visiting Researcher at ������ý “MARBLE_ID: Artisanal Cryptograph”
  • Contributed Talk–Senior Technician, Teaching in the Department of Chemistry at ������ý “Realising ideas in 3D”
• 11.30-11.45 Break 
• 11.45-13.00 – Conservation – Chair Anne Barrett, College Archivist and Corporate Records Manager at ������ý
  • Invited speaker – Kate Jennings, Subject Leader Metals at West Dean “Craft, science and collaboration in the conservation of cultural heritage”
  • Contributed Talk– Unexpected salt formation in twentieth-century oil paints by , PhD student in the Department of Materials at ������ý “Unexpected salt formation in twentieth-century oil paints”
  • Contributed Talk -Marc Vermeulen, Head of Heritage Science – Conservation Research at The National Archives (UK) “Exploring the Aging and Reversibility of Heat-Activated Tissues for Water-Sensitive Archival Materials”
  • Invited speaker – David Thickett, Senior Conservation Scientist, Collections Conservation, National Heritage “The GoGreen project and RiCHeS Infrastructure.”
• 3.00-14.00 – Lunch & posters
• 13.10 – Tour to Science Plaques – Anne Barrett
• 14.00- 15.30 – Art and Heritage – Chair Marc Vermeulen, Head of Heritage Science – Conservation Research at The National Archives (UK)
  • Contributed Talk–, Heritage Science Manager at Historic Royal Palaces “Impact of infrastructure investment in Historic Royal Palaces’ heritage science research”
  • Invited Speaker – Katerina Laina, Collection Care Manager, Parliamentary Archives at UK House of Lords “”
  • Invited speaker – Dr Lucia Burgio, Lead Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science “When scientists are embedded in a collection: the V&A example”
  • Invited speakers- Alex Christopherson, ������ý Mechanical Engineering Graduate and Artist
• 15.30-15.45 Break
• 15.45 – 16.30 – Panel – Balancing Innovation and Craft: Do Practical Skills Still Matter in the Age of AI?
  • (Chair), Professor of Materials Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ������ý
  • Professor of Signal Processing in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at ������ý
  • , Head of Conservation at Natural History Museum
  • , Senior Teaching Technician in the Department of Chemistry at ������ý
• 16.30 – drinks reception

�����dzܳ���Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage

A Network of Excellence connecting scientists & engineers with conservators & heritage professionals to find solutions to cultural heritage problems. The artworks, artefacts and structures inherited from the past have a powerful impact on our society, so the conservation of our cultural heritage is fundamental for future generations. This shared cultural heritage requires intervention to stabilise and prevent further degradation of often unique artefacts. This degradation results from use, ageing, unpredicted events, environmental conditions, and poorly chosen previous restoration treatments whose details are often unknown. Scientists and engineers can assist greatly by identifying the changes in the materials, the mechanisms of degradation, and predicting how the object will respond to conservation and display. This knowledge enables conservators to make informed choices about suitable treatments, so the conservation of cultural heritage is truly interdisciplinary.

�����dzܳ���The Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering

The Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering (IMSE) is one of ������ý’s Global Institutes, drawing on the strength of its four faculties to address some of the grand challenges facing the world today. The Institute’s activities are focused on tackling problems where molecular innovation plays an important role.

If you have any questions about accessibility requirements please email Leah Adamson (IMSE Events and Communications Manager) on l.adamson@imperial.ac.uk