Research environment

The Grimwade Centre laboratories support our ongoing research and teaching of best practice in cultural materials conservation and were made possible by a very generous donation from the Cripps Foundation. These laboratories support our ongoing research and teaching of best practice in cultural materials conservation and were made possible by a very generous donation from the Cripps Foundation.

The Grimwade Centre is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science and the Ian Potter Museum of Art in recognition of the potential for unique interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of cultural materials conservation. The Centre brings together the broad academic expertise of the two Faculties with existing programs at the Ian Potter Art Conservation Centre and the University of Melbourne Cultural Collections, to explore new areas in instrumentation and analysis, knowledge creation, policy and programs in the area of the preservation of cultural materials.

Materials conservation research laboratory

Our research laboratory is dedicated to PhD, Post Doctorate and staff research for the materials analysis and characterisation of cultural materials. With a focus on portable instrumentation, the research laboratory also hosts accelerated ageing equipment, microscopy, environmental monitoring, spectroscopy and colourimetry. For high resolution analytical techniques we access the Faculties of Science and Engineering for GCMS, SEM EDS, Raman, 3D imaging and printing, and many more.

Some of the instrumentation we use include:

• Bruker Alpha FTIR ATR Spectrometer
• Bruker Handheld XRF
• QUV
• Olympus BX 51 microscope
• Thermal ageing ovens

For enquiries email Dr Petronella Nel.