Petronella Nel

Associate Professor Petronella Nel serves at the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Arts, specifically within the Robert Cripps Institute for Cultural Conservation, building on the legacy of the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. She possesses an interdisciplinary academic foundation, having earned a BSc (Honours) in Chemistry in 1990, a PhD in Chemistry in 2000, and an MA in Cultural Materials Conservation in 2006, all from the University of Melbourne. Her research specializes in cultural materials conservation, with a strong emphasis on polymers and plastics in heritage collections. Nel employs advanced instrumental techniques, such as portable FTIR-ATR and reflectance spectroscopy, for non-invasive identification, characterization of degradation, and development of preservation strategies for materials including cellulose nitrate, plasticised PVC, polyethylene, and adhesives in archaeological pottery. She chairs the Users Committee at the Grimwade Centre and contributes to the teaching and research team, fostering collaborations with entities like CSIRO, Museums Victoria, Powerhouse Museum, and Queensland Museum.

Nel's scholarly output includes impactful publications such as 'Surveys of Plastics in Post-1950 Non-published Book Collections' (2023), 'Plastics in Australian Archives: An Industry Survey Regarding Prevalence, Condition, and Preservation Strategies' (2021, Studies in Conservation), 'Non-invasive identification of polymers in cultural heritage collections: evaluation, optimisation and application of portable FTIR (ATR and external reflectance) spectroscopy to three-dimensional polymer-based objects' (2019, Heritage Science), 'Identification of cellulose nitrate based adhesive repairs in archaeological pottery of the University of Melbourne’s Middle Eastern archaeological pottery collection using portable FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and PCA' (2017, Heritage Science), 'Degradation profiles of silk textiles in diverse environments: synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy analysis' (2017), and 'Peacock Ink: Investigation into the Constituents of the Most Prized Ink of Persia' (2017). Her work garners over 250 citations and supports ARC-funded initiatives, including Linkage Project LP160100160 for a national plastics conservation framework and projects on cellulose nitrate management and advanced polymers for heritage. These contributions advance technical authenticity studies, cleaning methodologies comparable to those for paintings, and preservation of modern heritage materials across Australian institutions.

Professional Email: pnel@unimelb.edu.au