Introducing Visiting Researcher Chiara Biribicchi

Chiara Biribicchi is a Visiting Researcher within the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. She will be working in the UCLA/Getty laboratories and at the Getty Conservation Institute under the supervision of Dr. Michael Doutre (Getty Conservation Institute) and Prof. Glenn Wharton (UCLA), conducting research on low-impact solvents for use in cultural heritage conservation. The research will focus on the assessment of alternative methods and materials to increase sustainability, reduce environmental harm, and protect the health of conservation professionals. Chiara is currently a Ph.D. student in Environment and Cultural Heritage at the Earth Sciences Department of Sapienza University of Rome, in partnership with YOuth in COnservation of CUltural Heritage APS (YOCOCU). Her Ph.D. project specifically focuses on the development of greener low-polar formulations capable of replacing traditional hazardous solvents that are commonly used for the removal of low-polar coatings, such as natural and microcrystalline waxes, from metal and stone artifacts.

Chiara graduated in April 2021 with honors in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence (Italy) with a thesis on a modern unvarnished gouache painting on plywood (“Con titolo”, 1986) by the Italian artist Gino De Dominicis. Her Master’s thesis project focused on the characterization of the artist’s palette and the study of natural-based adhesives able to fix the detached paint layer while maintaining the matte appearance of the gouache paint.