Public Programs @ The Institute
Illuminating the Past: Synchrotron Applications in Cultural Heritage
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 2:30pm
Synchrotron-based techniques are opening new possibilities for the study, interpretation, and conservation of cultural heritage, providing access to information about materials and processes at unprecedented spatial, chemical, and structural scales. Yet realizing the full potential of these facilities for cultural heritage requires more than advanced analytical capabilities—it requires connections across disciplines, institutions, and professional communities.
This symposium brings together researchers from natural sciences, engineering, conservation, and the humanities to explore the opportunities for synchrotron research in New York and beyond. The program will showcase current applications of synchrotron methods while opening a broader conversation about access, collaboration, and the co-creation of knowledge.M.
How can synchrotron facilities become more accessible to the cultural heritage community? How can research questions be developed collaboratively across scientific, technical, and humanistic perspectives? And how can conservators, natural scientists, engineers, curators, art historians, archaeologists, and other heritage professionals contribute their expertise from the earliest stages of research?
The symposium will conclude with an open discussion focused on building connections, addressing challenges, and identifying new opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
Program
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Opening Lecture
Julia Thom-Levy — College of Arts & Sciences, Cornell University
Expanding Access to Synchrotron Light for Cultural Heritage Research in New York
Synchrotron Applications in Cultural Heritage
Victor González — CNRS PPSM, ENS Paris-Saclay Probing the Synthesis, Use, and Alteration of Historical Inorganic Pigments Using Synchrotron Radiation
Silvia Centeno — Department of Scientific Research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Multimodal Characterization of Oil Paint Degradation: Elemental Segregation, Microstructure, Transport, and Reactivity
Maite Maguregui — Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Francesco Caruso — Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
Cinnabar Blackening, Again: New Evidence from Pompeian Frescoes through Synchrotron Analysis
Open Discussion and Reflections
Synchrotron Science and Cultural Heritage: Building Connections, Addressing Challenges, and Exploring New Opportunities
*The Institute of Fine Arts provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for events should be made at least two weeks before the date event. Please email ifa.events@nyu.edu for assistance.
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