Heritage, Environmental Risk and Data Analytics (HERADA) Research Group
HERADA is an interdisciplinary research team focused on assessing environmental risks for heritage, with an emphasis on sustainable management.
We are an interdisciplinary team based at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, bringing together experience in engineering, architecture, archaeology, computational data science, and conservation.
We leverage data analytics and data science approaches, especially existing and open access resources, and are particularly interested in the role of data visualisation and communication more broadly in interdisciplinary heritage management. We are passionate about demonstrating the role of heritage in tackling society's grand challenges, such as climate change, technological transformations, and social justice.
We develop novel methods and approaches to communicating technical analysis to inform heritage management. We work across all scales from the interaction of heritage materials and their microenvironments to global climate change. Our work recognises that heritage problems are complex and require solutions that are technically orientated, aware of the relevant social and cultural values and significance and situated within broader political and economic contexts. Our expertise in data-driven approaches is also applied to interrogate heritage questions more broadly, such as digital engagement with heritage and interpretation.
Current active research projects include:
- Holistic methods of assessing climate risk for cultural heritage
- Microclimatic effects of urban greening on heritage buildings
- Modelling energy use and exploring decarbonisation of the museum sector
- Degradation and damage mechanisms for heritage materials, particularly salt mixtures
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and semi-empirical representation of wind-driven rain
- Leveraging social media and open data for improving access to heritage
Opportunities
We encourage inquiries from individuals interested in potential doctoral supervision or postdoctoral positions within the research group, or visiting scholar opportunities within our research group. For those seeking collaboration on specific projects or advisory input, we are eager to explore potential partnerships. Kindly direct all enquiries to the group leader via email.
Further opportunities will also be disseminated via the Institute for Sustainable Heritage social media channels and newsletters, more information on thesis available on the institute homepage.
Who we are
Group Leader
PhD Students
- Ziwen Liu
- Marie De Groeve (with the University of Antwerp)
- Adam Frost (with Historic Environment Scotland)
- Helen Thomas (with Historic England and UCL IEDE)
- India Golding (with UCL IEDE)
- Kokcan Donmez (with UCL CEGE)
Previous members
- Dr Irene Iriarte Carretero, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellow
- Dr Phacharaphorn Phanomvan Na Ayudhya, Research Fellow in Heritage Data Science
- Dr Rosie Brigham, PhD Student (Thesis: Monument Monitor: using citizen science to preserve heritage)