Position: Heritage Scientist
About
Moira is a heritage scientist, holding BSc and MSc degrees in Heritage Science and a PhD in Chemical and Materials Science. Over the past decade, she has dedicated her career to heritage science, serving both in academic and museum settings. Her specialization lies in material characterization and analysis, with a focus on evaluating cleaning methodologies. She has worked with a diverse range of materials, from traditional to modern, including painted surfaces, pigments, and organic-based materials.
At Historic Royal Palaces, she is committed to advancing the understanding and preservation of precious artifacts. She supports curators and conservators in ongoing research, conducting diagnostic activities using both non-invasive and invasive techniques. Additionally, she performs Oddy testing for exhibitions to ensure the safe display of artifacts by assessing material compatibility and potential risks.
Currently, she is setting up a laboratory for dye analyses using HPLC, facilitating in-depth material assessments on a vast collection of textiles. She is also involved in the digitalization of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection using advanced 3D laser scanner technology, enhancing accessibility to cultural heritage and ensuring its longevity for future generations.
Select publications
Riminesi C. et al. ‘Architectural assessment of wall paintings using a multimodal and multi-resolution diagnostic approach: The test site of the Brancacci chapel in Firenze’, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 66 (2024), pp. 99-109.
Bertasa, M. and Korenberg, C. ‘Investigating the potential of the Nd:YAG and Er:YAG lasers for the cleaning of feathers: a pilot study’, Heritage Science, 10 (2022), p. 153.
Bertasa M. et al. ‘An in-depth study on the agar gel effectiveness for built heritage cleaning’, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 44 (2020), pp. 285–296.