New Director Professor Dr. Stefan Simon begins tenure at IPCH

March 31, 2014

The Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, established by a transformational gift from Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin ’78  is dedicated to advance the field of heritage science by improving the science and practice of conservation in a sustainable manner. At the crossroads between science and art, the Institute is home to state-of-the-art conservation studios, laboratories and a digital heritage group. Led by Inaugural Director Stefan Simon it engages in cutting-edge research and teaching in a multidisciplinary setting and closely works with Yale’s collections and academic programs. It is located in Building 900 on Yale West Campus.

Among the priorities of the Institute’ s groups and labs are “green” and preventive conservation, materials aging diagnostics, technical and technological studies on cultural artefacts, physico-mechanical and non-destructive testing in the built heritage field, sustainable preservation strategies including energy-efficiency and risk management.  Conservation interventions and treatments are taking place in the IPCH conservation studios, which are a shared facility in service of Yale’s vast collections and museums as well as the Institute’s Digital Heritage Group which is engaging in service and research on digital recording, preservation and access.