Sustainability, conservation, and collection care: exploring the occurrence and implications of VOCs emitted from modern and contemporary art in storage

About the Project

Applications open for PhD studentship: "Sustainability, conservation, and collection care: exploring the occurrence and implications of VOCs emitted from modern and contemporary art in storage."

• Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme.
• Supervisors: Dr Katherine Curran and Dr Cecilia Bembibre – BSEER ISH, Dr Bronwyn Ormsby and Deborah Cane – Tate, London
• Department: BSEER – Institute for Sustainable Heritage
• Deadline for applications: Thursday 7 May 2026 11:59pm UK time

Funding and eligibility

Funding: The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) full-time home rate for PhD degrees. The UKRI Indicative Fee Level for 2026/27 is £5,238.

The studentship may be able to cover UCL international fees (pending confirmation of approval via a UCL internal scheme).

Stipend: The award also pays a stipend to cover living costs, which will be paid in regular instalments. This stipend will be a minimum of £21,805* per year, plus London Weighting of £2,000 per year. CDP students also receive an additional maintenance payment of £600 per year.

*Exact amount still to be confirmed each year*

Research/travel allowance: The successful candidate will receive an additional travel and related expenses grant during the course of the project courtesy of their AHRC CDP award at UCL worth up to £750 per year for 4 years.

The student will also receive £1300 per year from Tate for research-related expenses.

Length of funding: CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years), or part-time equivalent (up to 8 years).

Start date for this studentship post will be 1 October 2026.

Eligibility: This studentship is open to both Home UK and Overseas applicants.

All applicants must meet the minimum language requirements of UCL.

The English language level for this PhD is Level 2.

About the project

Modern and Contemporary Art (M&CA) acquisitions now comprise over 90% of all works coming into Tate’s collection, many involving new materials with lesser-known compositions. Little is known about the types and amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from these often large and complex artworks, including whether VOCs pose a risk to the artworks themselves, to artworks in close proximity or even to human health. VOCs can include organic acids, aldehydes, additives, and material degradation products generated during curing processes and over time. Within a primarily protective (closed) storage context, the build-up of VOCs may occur across a range of materials in significant quantities, warranting identification at both the analytical and practitioner levels. This increasingly urgent query will be explored through a selection of case study M&CA works from Tate’s sculpture and installation art collection. Each work will be characterised using resources and expertise at Tate and UCL-ISH, where the materials, smells and VOCs emitted within a storage context will be identified. A smaller group of higher-risk VOCs will also be quantified and smell profiles obtained to support the development of risk profiles for each work. The translation of the case study findings into guidance for the improved care of M&CA collections, including mitigating measures such as simple changes to storage housing and the use of VOC absorbing materials, will contribute directly to core preservation objectives and practice, for Tate, and other global collections.

All CDP projects are part of a nationwide programme called the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium. The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in professional development events and activities organised for all Collaborative Doctoral Partnership students who are registered with different universities and studying with cultural and heritage organisations across the UK.

Person specification

We are seeking applicants who have or expect to receive a Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject such as conservation science, archaeology, chemistry or conservation.

We are very keen to encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds, including mature students. We will also accept applications from those who can demonstrate relevant experience in a professional setting e.g. 3+ years in a conservation science or analytical chemistry setting, alongside a relevant undergraduate degree.

Essential criteria:

• Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject or significant relevant professional experience and a relevant undergraduate degree
• The ability to develop well-thought-through research questions and to design experiments to answer them
• The ability to produce, manage and critically assess research data including data from laboratory experiments
• The ability to communicate the results of scientific research clearly to a wide range of audiences, including via oral presentation and written publications.
• A strong interest in the heritage sector, including modern and contemporary art.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience with relevant laboratory equipment e.g. spectroscopic or chromatographic equipment
• An understanding of polymer chemistry, including polymer degradation

Applicants should also meet the entry requirements for Institute for Sustainable Heritage PhD programme.

Application procedure

Stage one: initial application

We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary AHRC CDP EDI monitoring form here. All responses are anonymous.

The initial application process for this studentship consists of:

1. Submission of your CV by email to bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk mentioning the studentship title: Sustainability, conservation, and collection care
2. Filling out the following Sustainability, conservation, and collection care - Studentship Pre-Application Form

You must complete both requirements to be considered for this studentship.

Any additional documents sent will NOT be taken into consideration during shortlisting.

The deadline for initial applications is Thursday, 7 May 2026 11:59pm UK time.

Stage two: interviews

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Interviews are due to be held within few weeks of the deadline for applications.

Contacts

For further details about the admission process, please contact bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk.

For any further details regarding the project context and topic, please contact Katherine Curran k.curran@ucl.ac.uk and/or Bronwyn Ormsby bronwyn.ormsby@tate.org.uk.