Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Job Posting: Senior Preventive Conservator - Science Museum, London UK 2. Vacancy - PhD position - University of Antwerp (ARCHES research group) 3. Job Opportunity - Senior Heritage Scientist, Research Infrastructure and Access (The National Archives) 4. Sustainable Labs Meetup - Feb. 24th ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Kay Saunders Posted: Monday February 9, 2026 11:59 AM Subject: Job Posting: Senior Preventive Conservator - Science Museum, London UK Message: We're recruiting a full-time, permanent Senior Preventive Conservator, based at the Science Museum in London. The Conservation & Collections Care team (C&CC) support all conservation activity across the museum, and are responsible for establishing and maintaining conservation and collection care standards. We are looking for a motivated and experienced Senior Preventive Conservator to join the team. Deadline: 19/02/2026 Salary: £38,870 per annum Contract: Permanent Please share to your networks Work with us | Science Museum Group <https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/work-with-us> Science Museum Group remove preview <https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/work-with-us> Work with us | Science Museum Group The Science Museum Group's mission is to 'Inspire futures'. Find out more about working for SMG and our latest vacancies here. View this on Science Museum Group > <https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/work-with-us> ------------------------------ Kay Saunders Conservation and Collections Care Manager Science Museum London United Kingdom ------------------------------ 2.From: Vincent Cattersel Posted: Monday February 9, 2026 12:55 PM Subject: Vacancy - PhD position - University of Antwerp (ARCHES research group) Message: The ARCHES Research Group of the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Design Sciences, Conservation-Restoration) is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral candidate in the interdisciplinary field of Technical Art History/Conservation-Restoration. This project focuses on the study of artificially coloured wooden surfaces on furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Netherlands, combining the study of historical recipes, in-situ examination of artworks, chemical characterisation and imaging, and reconstruction. Read more about this position and apply via https://lnkd.in/eDD62bwb <https://lnkd.in/eDD62bwb> up to and including 9 March 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Project info This project aims to study, reconstruct and contextualise artificially coloured wooden surfaces on late-17th- and 18th-century furniture from the North and South Netherlandish regions by chemically characterising their photodegraded, visually monochromatic surfaces. Research on an 18th-century South Netherlandish table from the KMKG-MRAH collections demonstrated that its original polychromy had gone unnoticed due to heavily faded colourants. Further investigation identified additional furniture pieces that were likely originally coloured, highlighting a broader issue within the field. Existing scholarship shows that the tradition of colouring or "painting on wood" in these regions remains largely unstudied, leading to misinterpretations of the furniture's original aesthetic and historical significance. The project begins with an art-technical analysis of 17th- and 18th-century sources describing wood-colouring practices (Dutch, English; might include French, German). These sources will be structured into a relational dataset linking recipes, materials, techniques, and surviving objects. Selected recipes will then be experimentally reconstructed as mock-ups and subjected to artificial UV ageing under controlled conditions. Both the mock-ups and selected historical objects will be analysed at defined intervals using advanced imaging and spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, XRD, macro-XRF). The resulting data will be consolidated into a reference database to clarify the relationship between reconstructed materials and surviving furniture. Through this methodology, the project seeks to digitally reconstruct original polychrome appearances and generate knowledge that will support future research, including the development of safe conservation and stabilisation strategies for these fragile surfaces. Vincent Cattersel Prof. Dr. Vincent Cattersel (he/him) Assistant professor and Coordinator Conservation Restoration – Wooden Furniture and Polychrome Sculptures University of Antwerp | Heritage Department – ARCHES Research Group Art & History Museum (Brussels) – FED-tWIN HOME-AGE project UAntwerpen | Mutsaardstraat 31 | 2000 Antwerpen | Belgium | +32(0)475.78.01.72 3.From: Sophie Adlam Posted: Monday February 9, 2026 12:55 PM Subject: Job Opportunity - Senior Heritage Scientist, Research Infrastructure and Access (The National Archives) Message: Job Opportunity - Senior Heritage Scientist, Research Infrastructure and Access (The National Archives) Salary: £43,524 per annum Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment for 5 years Closing date: Sunday 22nd February 2026 at midnight The National Archives' Collection Care Department is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Heritage Scientist to play a central role in advancing our research capacity and enhancing access to heritage science facilities for the study of the UK's written heritage. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to an ambitious and growing heritage science programme within one of the world's most significant archival institutions. Written heritage collections span over a millennium and encompass an extraordinary variety of materials, including paper, parchment, photographs, prints, wax seals, films and documents executed in a wide range of historical and modern media. As Senior Heritage Scientist, you will apply advanced analytical, imaging and research skills to deepen our understanding of these materials and support their long term preservation. Working closely with the Head of Heritage Science and Conservation Research, you will help expand our external partnerships, develop collaborative research initiatives on various collections across the UK, and strengthen The National Archives' role as an international centre of excellence for heritage science. You will lead and support research projects from conception through delivery, working with colleagues across Collection Care and the wider organisation, as well as national and international partners. You will take an active role in enhancing our scientific infrastructure, ensuring the effective use of analytical instrumentation within the laboratory, and building research capacity through mentoring and supporting others. You will communicate your findings to diverse audiences, from internal teams to the international professional community, through publications, presentations, workshops and sector engagement. We are looking for a scientist with strong analytical expertise, excellent problem solving abilities and a passion for the care of written heritage. You will bring substantial experience with non-destructive analytical methods, research design and delivery, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. Your creativity, technical insight and commitment to innovation will directly support the preservation of our nation's documentary heritage for generations to come. This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. This role is based mostly onsite with some scope for remote working. For full details and to apply, please click here: https://nationalarchives.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/Kew/Senior-Heritage-Scientist---Research-Infrastructure---Access_JR200777 <https://nationalarchives.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/Kew/Senior-Heritage-Scientist---Research-Infrastructure---Access_JR200777> ------------------------------ The National Archives Kew, Richmond, UK ------------------------------ 4.From: adrian hernandez Posted: Monday February 9, 2026 4:34 PM Subject: Sustainable Labs Meetup - Feb. 24th Message: Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Sustainable Labs Community meeting! Joining us this month are two guest presenters, Melissa Lewis and Carla Salem who can describe their research on a toluene alternative for conservation of paper. Afterwards there will be open discussion. See info below to join and share with your colleagues! Tues Feb 24 at 8:00 am PST, 11:00 am EST and 4:00 pm GMT Join at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89938392137?pwd=vaGWue7u5ClZO0bjbxsHLHUMY1wXqD.1 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89938392137?pwd=vaGWue7u5ClZO0bjbxsHLHUMY1wXqD.1> Looking forward to chatting with you all! AIC and Icon Sustainability Teams #sustainability <https://www.culturalheritage.org/search?s=tags%3A%22sustainability%22&executesearch=true> #SustainabilityCommittee <https://www.culturalheritage.org/search?s=tags%3A%22Sustainability Committee%22&executesearch=true> #SustainableLabsMeetup <https://www.culturalheritage.org/search?s=%23SustainableLabsMeetup&executesearch=true> ------------------------------ adrian hernandez Sustainability Committee Outreach Officer ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. 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