Material Studies Laboratory
The Material Studies Laboratory (MatLab) is a research and teaching facility housed within the Department of History of Art, UCL.
The MatLab consists of two laboratory spaces, one dedicated to teaching and handling of materials and artefacts, with the second focusing on the instrumental analysis of heritage materials.
The laboratory is used by UCL academic staff, research fellows, and research students, in addition to undergraduate students studying on the History of Art, Materials and Technology route. Visiting researchers and external collaborations are also welcome. Explore our MatLab research.
The facility is equipped with instruments for materials characterisation, with a particular focus on molecular analysis of cultural heritage materials. The laboratory also has portable equipment that can be used for scientific investigations onsite within museum and heritage collections.
People
Dr Hélia Marçal
Academic Staff
Dr Tea Ghigo
Academic Staff
Lois Cowie
Laboratory Technician
Partner Institutions for the Art, Work, Space Module
Culture Reports
Haunch of Venison Reports
Wellcome Collection & Library Reports
Libby Sheldon Paintings Analysis Reports
Scottish National Galleries of Art: Reports
The Guildhall Art Gallery
Victoria & Albert Museum: Reports
National Portrait Gallery: Reports
Julia Nagle Conservation of Fine Art
Conservation Studio of Sally Woodcock
Whitechapel Art Gallery
Molyneux Kerr Architects
Christie’s Auction House
Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery
National Trust
Victor Wynd’s Little Shop of Horrors, Shoreditch
English Heritage
British Film Institute
The British Library
The Cartoon Museum
Artvisor Reports
Funding Bodies and Research Collaborators
Contact
Lab Technician
Lois Cowie
hoa-mslab@ucl.ac.uk
Room 302, 20 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0AG
Visit our Sister Lab at UCL East.
Please note: We are a research-led organisation and participate only in projects that produce a research output, with intellectual property retained by us.
MSc Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media
From 2023, we will be running our new and innovative MSc in Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media designed to train the next generation of contemporary art and media conservators.