Yvonne Shashoua

Seniorforsker

I am a Senior Researcher at the National Museum of Denmark investigating real-time degradation mechanisms and conservation techniques for plastics. On completion of my first degree is in industrial chemistry, I worked as an industrial polymer technologist for Berger Paints in England,UK. I joined the British Museum, London, UK, as a conservation scientist in 1988 and researched into conservation of paper, textiles, ceramic and metals, before specialising in the deterioration reactions and conservation of cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate and rubber objects after 1993. In 1998 I was offered a PhD studentship for research into the deterioration reactions associated with plasticised PVC at the National Museum of Denmark/Danish Polymer Centre, The Technical University of Denmark. I have 70 publications on conservation issues including a monograph ´Conservation of Plastics-materials science, degradation and conservation´ published by Elsevier in 2008. I am currently project manager for both 7th Framework EU project POPART (Preservation of Plastic ARTefacts) and Physical Conservation of Industrial Heritage, the first project in this subject in Denmark.