Staff

Tom Learner has led the Conservation Institute’s Science department since 2014, overseeing all scientific research and developing and implementing projects that advance conservation practice in the visual arts. He joined the Conservation Institute in 2007 as a senior scientist to launch its Modern and Contemporary Art Research Initiative, developing an international research agenda focused on modern paints, plastics, and contemporary outdoor sculpture. Before his arrival at Getty, he was a senior conservation scientist at Tate, where he initiated and oversaw analytical and research strategies for modern materials and led the Modern Paints project in collaboration with the Conservation Institute and National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He was also an inaugural Getty Conservation Guest Scholar in residence in 2001. Learner is both a chemist and a conservator, with a PhD in Chemistry from Birkbeck College, University of London and a diploma in the conservation of easel paintings from the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Vincent Laudato Beltran is a member of the Preventive Conservation research team and the Managing Collection Environments Initiative. His research and teaching efforts include environmental management in hot and humid climates, evaluations of packing case performance during transport, and the advancement of microfading tester practice. Beltran served on the committee responsible for revising the 2019 ASHRAE chapter on “Museums, Galleries, Archives, and Libraries,” co-organized the “Towards Art in Transit 2.0” symposium at the 2024 meeting for the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), and is the founder and chair of the “Microfading Tester International Discussion Group,” supported by AIC and the Preventive Care Network. He holds a BS in General Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MS in Oceanography (Geochemistry) from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

Current projects: Advancing Microfading Tester Practice, Assessing the Transportation Environment, Environmental Data Analysis and Visualization, Managing Collection Environments Initiative

Beril Biçer-Simşir is a member of the Built Heritage Research Initiative. Her research focuses on the physical and mechanical performance of both traditional and modern built heritage materials, the development and refinement of laboratory and field-testing methodologies, and the selection of compatible conservation treatments, with an emphasis on repair mortars and injection grouts. She holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, and an MS in Civil Engineering with a specialization in construction materials from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also completed all PhD program prerequisites. She held academic affiliations as a visiting associate project scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles (2022–2024), and as an honorary research associate at the University of Oxford (2017–2019; 2021–2023).

Current project: Built Heritage Research Initiative

Miguel Burgos-Ruiz is a postdoctoral fellow working on Built Heritage Research Initiative projects. He received a PhD in Earth Science from the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Granada, Spain, where he also received a BS in Chemistry and MS in Teaching for Secondary Education (Chemistry). Before joining the Conservation Institute, his research focused on the synthesis of nano-structed bassanite and portlandite-based consolidants for the conservation of stone and plaster. He is implementing diverse laboratory and field-based analytical methodologies to understand how variations in environmental conditions influence the chemical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of traditional gypsum plasters.

Current project: Built Heritage Research Initiative

David Carson is the laboratory manager for the Science department, with over 25 years of experience managing research laboratories dedicated to cultural heritage conservation. He oversees the safety, maintenance, and daily operations of the lab. He provides technical support to Conservation Institute scientists, visiting scholars, and interns. His work enables the successful execution of diverse research projects. His expertise includes laboratory safety, equipment servicing, chemical inventory management, and the development of operational protocols that support the research.

Ashley A. Freeman is a member of the Preventive Conservation research team, focusing on monitoring mechanical responses and measuring physical properties of cultural heritage objects. Her research explores how materials like wood and paint respond to environmental changes using techniques such as acoustic emission and nanoindentation. Ashley holds a BA in Chemistry (Monmouth College, Illinois), a Study Certificate for Restoration and Conservation (Lorezo de’ Medici, Italy), an MSc in Chemistry (Loyola University Chicago), an MA in Conservation Science (Queen’s University, Canada), and a PhD in Engineering (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway). Prior to joining the Conservation Institute, she was an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Conservation Science at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 2022 to 2023.

Current projects: Advancing Microfading Tester Practice, Managing Collection Environments Initiative, Mechanical Characterization of Historic and Artistic Materials, Modern Paints

Naoki Fujisawa has been a member of the Preventive Conservation research team since 2018. Before entering the field of heritage conservation, his research focused on investigating fundamental aspects of nanoindentation, a mechanical testing technique for small-volume materials and thin films, as well as characterizing the mechanical response of a variety of biomedical and industrial materials using the technique. Drawing on his expertise in nanoindentation, he leads the group’s research efforts in the mechanical characterization of small volumes of paints, lacquers, and other artists’ materials obtained from historic artworks and laboratory-prepared mockups, with the goal of understanding the mechanical states of real objects as a function of relative humidity. He is a mechanical and biomedical engineer, with a BE in Mechanical Engineering from Waseda University, and an MSc and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales.

Current projects: Managing Collection Environments Initiative, Mechanical Characterization of Historic and Artistic Materials, Monitoring Climate-Induced Physical Damage in Art Objects

Monica Ganio is a member of the Technical Studies research team, researching questions relating to the production, provenance, and preservation of antiquities. She is particularly interested in the study of ancient glass, having completed her PhD work on ancient Roman glass at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Her work at the Conservation Institute touches on all aspects of ancient material culture, including polychromy, ceramics, marbles, and metals. She is passionate about mentoring emerging professionals and connecting allied communities to foster new collaborations to enhance the study of cultural heritage materials. Before arriving at the Conservation Institute, she was an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University/Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Art.

Davide Gulotta leads the Built Heritage Research Initiative, which applies scientific methods to characterize and preserve traditional and modern built heritage materials to inform conservation practice. The initiative's activities are based on an integrated approach, exploiting standard laboratory methods and novel field-based techniques to investigate materials characterization questions, advance the understanding of outdoor weathering mechanisms and their long-term effects, and conduct treatment assessments and monitor their durability. Before joining the Conservation Institute, he was a research fellow and adjunct professor at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has been involved in international research and training programs across Europe, the United States, Armenia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. He holds a PhD in Preservation of the Architectural Heritage from Politecnico di Milano, a Postgraduate Certification in Materials and Diagnostic Methods for Cultural Heritage from the University of Pisa, and an MSc in Architecture from Politecnico di Torino, Italy.

Current project: Built Heritage Research Initiative

Art Kaplan has spent over a decade working on the application of analytical instrumentation to the identification and study of photographic processes and materials. His research focuses on the use of noninvasive and nondestructive techniques in the identification of photographic processes. In addition, his research has focused on detailed analytical study of black-and-white photographic papers as a tool for provenance and authentication studies. His past work includes scientific analysis of View from the Window at Le Gras and three other images by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce for which he was co-recipient of the Colin Ford Award from the Royal Photographic Society in 2011. He received his BS in Biochemistry from California State University, Northridge.

Current projects: Photographic Processes Research, DISCO: Data Integration for Conservation Science

Herant Khanjian received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from California State University, Northridge, and is a long-standing member of the Conservation Institute’s Science department. His research involves detection and identification of organic media found in historical objects and architecture. He is a coauthor of Solvent Gels for the Cleaning of Works of Art. His current research focuses on the identification of Asian lacquers and coatings from outdoor sculptures. He has also been involved in analysis of modern paints and the study of Disney animation cels collection.

Current projects: Characterization of Asian and European Lacquers, Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer, Modern Paints, Preservation of Plastics

Jenny (Youkyoung) Kim is an assistant scientist in the Preventive Conservation research group. Her research focuses on sustainable collection care practices, including advanced color fading studies and environmental monitoring using open-source data visualization tools. Her expertise spans a wide range of analytical techniques, including the microfading tester, acoustic emission monitoring, and digital image correlation. Before joining the Conservation Institute, she held positions at M+, The British Museum, and the Library of Congress, and was previously a Getty Graduate Intern (2021-2022) with the Managing Collections Environments Initiative. She holds an Master of Research in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology from University College London, and a BS in Biological Environmental Science from Dongguk University, Seoul.

Current projects: Advancing Microfading Tester Practice, Assessing the Transportation Environment, Environmental Data Analysis and Visualization, Managing Collection Environments Initiative

Anna Laganà leads key components of the Preservation of Plastics project, including research into treatment options and the development of professional workshops. She received her diploma in conservation at the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome with a thesis on plastics. Anna has focused her career on the conservation of plastics in museum collections, working with institutions across Europe. Before joining the Conservation Institute, she held roles at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, La Venaria Reale in Turin, and the University of Amsterdam, and was a Getty Conservation Guest Scholar (2015).

Current project: Preservation of Plastics

Michal Łukomski is head of Preventive Conservation research, which assesses the effects of environmental conditions and lighting on museum objects. He received his PhD in Physics from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, in 2003, and completed his postdoctorate fellowship at the University of Windsor in Canada. For the last several years, he has worked on describing quantitatively the response of hygroscopic materials—in particular wood, textiles, animal glue, gesso and paints relevant to collections of fine and decorative art—to variations of climate conditions, using several scientific methods. His current area of research focuses on the mechanical characterization of historic materials and their response to changes of environmental parameters, as well as investigation of painted surfaces by advanced optical techniques.

Current projects: Managing Collection Environments Initiative, Mechanical Characterization of Historic and Artistic Materials, Monitoring Climate-Induced Physical Damage in Art Objects, Preservation of Plastics

Joy Mazurek specializes in the identification and characterization of natural and synthetic organic materials using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, size exclusion, and ion chromatography. She also works on the classification of biomarkers produced by microbiological deterioration from a range of cultural heritage materials. She is currently an assistant coordinator for the Scientific Research working group of ICOM-CC. She obtained her MS in Biology with emphasis in Microbiology from California State University, Northridge, and a BS degree in Biology from the University of California, Davis.

Current projects: Modern Paints, Preservation of Plastics, Van Gogh’s Irises: A Closer Look

Nicole Onishi has over a decade of experience in the philanthropic and visual arts sectors. At the Conservation Institute, she supports the Head of Science and manages international research collaborations and departmental operations. She holds a BA in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining the Conservation Institute, she served as studio and production manager at CFP Studio Photography and as a membership associate at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where she helped cultivate community engagement through meaningful cultural programming.

Current project: Alta / A Human Atlas of a City of Angels

Catherine Schmidt Patterson is a member of the Technical Studies research team. Her primary focus is the technical study of paintings and illuminated manuscripts to answer questions related to the history of the objects, the practices of artists and their workshops, and material changes over time. She is also active in the development of new analytical methodologies, technology transfer for the benefit of cultural heritage science, and policy development for the field. She received her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University. Before joining the Conservation Institute as a staff member in 2009, she held the Conservation Institute's prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship in Conservation Science (2007-2009) and completed an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the National Science Foundation (2002-2023).

Current projects: DISCO: Data Integration for Conservation Science, Van Gogh’s Irises: A Closer Look

Jeannie Rozzi has over 20 years of experience in the arts industry with a strong background in project management, logistics, and event planning. As senior department coordinator for the Science department, she oversees administrative operations and plays a key role in the successful execution of collaborations, public programs, and departmental initiatives.

Michael Schilling is head of Materials Characterization research at the Conservation Institute. He specializes in gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis applications. Current research activities involve a broad range of traditional and contemporary art materials, such as Asian lacquers, plastics (especially in animation cels), and modern paints. In the Conservation Institute’s projects to conserve wall paintings in China and Egypt, he analyzed the paint media coatings and measured their color. Development of improved analytical protocols is a key element of his work; he teaches these procedures to scientists and conservators in analytical workshops. He holds a BA and a MS in Chemistry from Cal Poly Pomona.

Current projects: Characterization of Asian and European Lacquers, Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer, Modern Paints, Preservation of Plastics

Camilla Tartaglia is a member of the Built Heritage Research team, bringing expertise in spectroscopic techniques and field-based monitoring methods. Her work focuses on scientific methods for the characterization, monitoring, and preservation of decorated and undecorated built heritage materials, including investigation on treatments for surface stabilization and protection. Her experience includes fieldwork on Leonardo da Vinci's mural paintings at Castello Sforzesco, Milan. She received a PhD in Preservation of the Architectural Heritage at the Politecnico di Milano and holds a BS degree in Chemistry and a MS in Sciences for Conservation and Diagnostics of Cultural Heritage from the Università degli Studi di Milano.

Current project: Built Heritage Research Initiative

Karen Trentelman is head of Technical Studies research. She is dedicated to raising awareness within traditional scientific communities of the unique research challenges within cultural heritage, and the opportunities those challenges provide for transformative interdisciplinary collaboration. She is active in the education and training of scientists and conservators in the application of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to the study of works of art, co-authoring a practical workbook for conservators. She received a PhD in Chemistry from Cornell University and carried out postdoctoral research at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, Chicago. She was a research scientist at the Detroit Institute of Arts before joining Getty in 2004.

Current project: Van Gogh’s Irises: A Closer Look