Education and professional development are encouraged through various activities: by bringing conservation professionals together on an international scale, publishing current research in the ‘Studies in Conservation’ journal, organising conferences and encouraging dialogues, and recognising achievement within the field through awards, fellowships, and honorary memberships.

Initiated in 2011, the IIC’s SECC biennial series aims to provide an international platform for conservation students and recent graduates to meet and confer with their peers on their goals, expectations, and research interests at the outset of their own career. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss their professional interests with experienced conservators to gain insight into the field.

The organising committee

The organising committee is formed by students from different specialities of the UvA programme, and includes the following:

Terri Costello, MSc
Terri Costello is a graduate of the Advanced Professional Programme in the conservation and restoration of ceramics and glass at the University of Amsterdam. During this programme she carried out independent projects and completed internships at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. Terri is originally from New Hampshire but has spent the last eight years studying in Europe. In 2019 she graduated with a Bachelors degree in ancient history and archaeology from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Directly after this she moved to Amsterdam to do the Masters degree in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage objects at the University of Amsterdam. She finished the Masters program in 2021, which included writing a thesis that investigated a cracking phenomenon found on 17th-18th century Dutch glass post-horns. She has been a member of the University of Amsterdam C&R Activity Committee and has helped the Media Team for this conference. You can follow Terri on Instagram @t.costello.conservation.

Alison Grotz, MSc
Alison has always shown a large interest in history, museums and cultural institutions. During her bachelor studies in history and cultural anthropology at the University of Cologne in Germany, a course on medieval palaeography and archival studies has given her a higher appreciation for historical books and papers. After an internship at the National Archives of Luxembourg, during which she was introduced to restoration as a profession, she decided to further pursue her interests and study book and paper conservation.

Having obtained her Master’s diploma in Book and Paper Conservation in 2022 at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), she is now pursuing a post-masters degree as part of the Advanced Professional Programme of the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the UvA.

Amelia Hammond, MSc (Co-Chair) 
Through their pre program work, Amelia was exposed to a range of materials including paper, glass, ceramics, stone, wood, bone, leather, and metals. The complexity of the degradation phenomena encountered in metallic objects spurred her to specialize in metallic cultural heritage at the University of Amsterdam for her masters and post-masters degrees. In addition to her studies, she was chair of the Conservation and Restoration program’s Activity Committee between 2021 and 2023, and has helped to organize guest lectures, student-led workshops, game nights, new student events, and more. Her research interests include conservation methods of the past, shipwreck finds and community engagement.

Matthew Hayes 
Matthew is currently pursuing an MSc in Textile conservation at University of Amsterdam and holds a joint BA in history and art history.

Liz Hébert, MSc
Liz began her education in Florence, Italy, where she learned to conserve Renaissance frescoes and canvas paintings during her bachelor's studies. Seeking further expertise, she pursued a Master of Science in painting conservation at the University of Amsterdam. Liz expanded her practical knowledge through internships at Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL), the Van Gogh Museum, and CollectieCentrum Nederland (CCNL). Outside of the studio Liz also embraces her passion for sharing knowledge as the host and producer of the ECPodcast. Through thought-provoking interviews with fellow conservation students, the ECPodcast sheds light on the realities of being an emerging conservator.

Thijs de Jongh
Currently pursuing his MSc in Conservation and Restoration at the Uva, specialising in Wood and Furniture restoration, with the aim to finish the study this year. He graduated from Archaeology Bsc with a thesis in prospects for underwater archaeology in the south of the Netherlands. One of his personal hobbies is restoring his 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo.

Vanessa Kirana
Vanessa has always been keen on learning about the craft in the built environment. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture in the UK, where she focuses on learning about planning and designing new interventions to adapt existing buildings and give them a new lease of life. Since 2015, she has gathered work experience in interior design before joining an architectural conservation consultancy firm in Singapore. She then decided to dedicate her work to the conservation of buildings and hence, since 2022, continued her study at the University of Amsterdam, taking a master's degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, specialising in historic interiors.

Aspasia Kopsida, MSc
Aspasia Kopsida is a Post-Masters Student in Wood and Furniture at the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage of the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). She received a Bachelor in Conservation of Works of Art at the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art of the University of West Attica (Athens, Greece) in 2019 and a MSc. in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, with a specialization in Wood and Furniture at the University of Amsterdam in 2022. In 2020, she worked at Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) as a conservation fellow on polychrome sculptures and frames. Her research interests are in the area of conservation of furniture, painted and decorative wood, panel paintings and frames.

Kirby Martino, MSc
Kirby holds a BFA in art history from the Maryland Institute College of Art, as well as a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in conservation from the Studio Arts College International, and a MSc in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the University of Amsterdam. Previous conservation experience includes internships at multiple museums and private practices, most notably the Smithsonian American Museum of Art (Washington DC) and The Brooklyn Museum (New York). Kirby has specialized in the conservation of wood and organic objects, as well as gilded and polychromatic pieces, with particular research interests in archeological and natural history collections.

Circée Novick
Circée is currently studying textile conservation at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Her previous education includes bachelors in conservation studies (focusing on easel paintings and frescoes), and art history. Working with the canvas in paintings in addition to a personal interest in textiles inspired her to pursue textile conservation for graduate education.

Paula Ogayar Oroz, MSc (Co-Chair) 
Paula has studied and trained to care for photographic materials in various institutions over the last decade. Alongside her studies, she has work promoting the heritage in front of house jobs such as in the Natural History Museum and the libraries of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, both in London, U.K. Currently she is part of the Advanced professional programme in the University of Amsterdam after obtaining her Master diploma in Photograph Conservation in 2022. Paula is part of the Activity Committee that organizes workshops and guest lectures to promote sharing knowledge between specialities and individuals.

Mair Trueman, MSc
Mair is currently studying wooden object conservation at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (APP), with a particular interest in original construction techniques and the ethical treatment of wooden archaeological collections. Her experiences training in Egyptology (BA University of Cambridge), object conservation (MA University of Lincoln) and the conservation of wooden objects (MSc Universiteit van Amsterdam) have been instrumental both in encouraging new avenues of research and in highlighting the value of open communication within the field and of supporting inclusivity measures.