Our Research Team
Dr Nikki Emmerson
Senior Lecturer in Conservation
Nik began her career here as an undergraduate conservator in 2002. Now a Senior Lecturer, she focuses on researching corrosion prevention strategies and teaching research methods for heritage science. She supervises 8 PhD students and manages the climatic simulation laboratory and Raman spectroscopy.

Prof. Dave Watkinson
Chair in Conservation
Dave led the conservation team at Cardiff University from shortly after its inception. He has trained generations of conservators and now supervises a cohort of PhD researchers in addition to his teaching. He holds the Plowden Medal for innovative research and contribution to the conservation profession.

Jerrod Seifert
Analytical Laboratory Teaching Associate
PhD Researcher
Following dual BAs in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History (University of Minnesota), Jerrod came to Cardiff to study for his MSc Conservation Practice. He has worked internationally as an archaeologist and conservator, most recently at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Çatalhöyük. His PhD researches the corrosion of marine cast iron and the efficacy of treatments designed to reduce its instability.

Johanna Thunberg
PhD Researcher
Arts and Humanities Research Council
National Museum Wales
After training as a conservator, Johanna has held conservation and teaching roles at Cardiff University where she is studying for a PhD. Her research centres on desiccated storage for archaeological metals and identifying instability in copper alloy artefacts.

Luca Hoare
PhD Researcher
The Tank Museum
Luca's background is in archaeology, medieval history and collections care. Her PhD research project explores significance and ethics within the museum sector and aims to guide management decisions in the running of historic vehicles, specifically at the Tank Museum. She is particularly interested in heritage management strategies and processes that enable visitors to fully appreciate heritage experiences whilst caring for collections.

Sam Johnson
PhD Researcher
Arts and Humanities Research Council
National Museum Wales
A specialist in care of heritage collections, Sam is currently studying for his PhD at Cardiff. His research is supported by the AHRC and partnered with the National Museum of Wales. He investigates the impact of open fires in historic houses on the environment and collections within the properties using datalogging and thermal imaging.

Ashley Lingle
PhD Researcher
Ashley is teaching at Cardiff following successful submission of her PhD research on aqueous polymer systems for consolidation of earthen substrates. Her other research interests include digital preservation, preventative conservation, sustainable conservation practice, and community outreach. She has been Head of Conservation for the Çatalhöyük Research Project since 2012.

Peter Meehan
PhD Researcher
Peter is an accredited private conservator working in historic metals conservation. Having trained at Cardiff, he has returned to undertake a part-time PhD alongside his professional work. His research project evaluates the performance of traditional and modern coatings for historic wrought iron exposed to the outdoor environment.

Will Smith
PhD Researcher
Arts and Humanities Research Council
English Heritage
Will has been studying conservation at Cardiff University since 2015 having completed his BSc and MSc here. During this time he has been involved in research projects involving management of archaeological iron in store, laser cleaning of copper alloys, and his PhD topic, corrosion of modern artillery at coastal site and efficiency of coatings at preventing it.

BSc Conservation
Natalie Ioannou (left)
Jake Howe (middle)
Eleanor Moxon (right)
In their third year of conservation study at Cardiff, Natalie, Jake and Eleanor are designing and conducting research in our climatic simulation laboratory. They are investigating the use of humidity indicator cards for monitoring microenvironments in storage of archaeological metals.

Our Colleagues
School of History, Archaeology & Religion
Cardiff University
We work within a vibrant and diverse School of historians, ancient historians, archaeologists, conservators and religion scholars, supported by excellent professional services administrators. Our undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students add to this rich academic environment. You can meet the wider team here.
