Research & Technical Studies Group

Originally from Bulgaria, Mina Porell is a 2018 graduate of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Prior to joining the conservation department at Winterthur in 2024, she was the Assistant Conservator of Paintings at the Barnes Foundation, where she studied and treated paintings by Henri Rousseau and participated in the international technical research project on Amedeo Modigliani. As a postgraduate fellow, Mina studied, analyzed, and treated eighteenth-century American paintings at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, focusing on the works of William Williams. She also completed internships at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL), the Atlanta Art Conservation Center, and the National Gallery for Foreign Art in her native Sofia, Bulgaria. In addition to her Master of Science in Art Conservation, Mina holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and a Bachelor of Art in Art from Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA.​

Annette S. Ortiz Miranda is a chemist with a Ph.D. in Science and Restoration of Historical-Artistic Heritage from the University Institute of Restoration of the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain. Currently, she is in charge of the scientific laboratory at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. She also worked as a researcher at the National Gallery of Denmark and as a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts at Northwestern University in Chicago. Her interests as a researcher are focused on the identification and characterization of artistic materials and techniques, as well as the understanding of their degradation patterns. Beyond her work, Annette is mentoring emerging professionals as a member of the AIC and an active member of STEM career mentoring programs. And conservation scientist/ conservator chair of the Board of Governors of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR).

Before being appointed at SMK- CATS, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University’s Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts in Chicago, where she focused her research in the study of lead soaps in modern painting and gained experience in the use of non-invasive analysis and current data processing methods for the analysis of paintings.

Beyond her work at SMK, Annette is engaged as a scientific consultant with museums and cultural institutions in the Caribbean, is an active member of STEM careers mentoring programs, and is part of the world’s largest virtual collection of profiles of Latina scientists by the “If Then She Can” organization.

Ahmed is a distinguished conservator and conservation scientist with over 15 years of expertise in preserving archaeological artifacts, specializing in organic materials such as papyrus, bone, and textiles. Currently, he serves as a Senior Papyrus Conservation Fellow at the Brooklyn Museum, leading the technical study and treatment of a 21-foot Ptolemaic-era Book of the Dead papyrus, funded by Bank of America. A Former Senior Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2021–2023), Ahmed advanced analytical methodologies for Egyptian antiquities. Concurrently, he is completing his PhD in Materials and Conservation Science at Cairo University, focusing on novel consolidants to inhibit microbiological degradation in archaeological bone and papyrus. Ahmed’s career spans leadership roles at globally renowned institutions. As Head of the Human Remains and Organic Materials Laboratory at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM, 2018–2021), he managed high-profile projects, including the conservation of Tutankhamun’s artifacts and the safe transportation of his gilded shrines. His leadership of the Abydos Temple Paper Archive (ATPA)—awarded the 2020 ICCROM-Sharjah Honorary Award—showcased his ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and rescue critical 19th–20th century documents, collaborating with UC Berkeley and Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities. Ahmed is a passionate educator, guest lecturing at NYU and FIT on archaeological conservation and art history. He has authored 25+ publications, including articles in the Journal of Cultural Heritage and presentations at AIC, ARCE, and ICOM-CC conferences. His technical proficiency in imaging (X-ray radiography, multispectral analysis) and crisis management—evidenced by his role in salvaging the ATPA archives—underscores his innovative approach to heritage stewardship. Honored with the Dr. Zahi Hawass Award (2019) and ICOM-Egypt Award (2015), Ahmed is an active member of AIC, IIC, and ARCE.

Ashley A. Freeman is a member of the Preventive Conservation research team at the Getty Conservation Institute, engaging in various research projects focusing on monitoring mechanical responses, and measuring physical properties of cultural heritage objects. She employs diverse scientific methodologies to explore how materials like wood and paint react to fluctuations in environmental conditions, ranging from directly employing methods like acoustic emission on cultural heritage objects to utilizing small sample sizes with techniques such as nanoindentation. Ashley holds a BA in Chemistry (Monmouth College, Illinois), a study certificate for restoration and conservation (Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italy), Master's degrees in Chemistry (Loyola University Chicago) and in Conservation Science (Queen's University, Canada),and a PhD in Engineering (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway). Prior to joining the GCI, she was an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Conservation Science at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2022–2023). Current GCI projects: Managing Collection Environments and Modern Paints.

Kirsten Travers Moffitt is a conservator of painted surfaces with a specialty in the microscopy and analysis of historic finishes. She holds a B.F.A. in Fine Art and an M.Sc. from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, where she specialized in the conservation and analysis of painted surfaces. As a graduate fellow, Moffitt completed projects with the architectural paint research team at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) in Oslo, the historic interiors conservation department at Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) in the Netherlands, and historic paint analyst and scholar Patrick Baty, in London. She started at Colonial Williamsburg in 2010, conducting architectural paint research for original buildings in the historic area and the surrounding region. In 2014 she was promoted to Conservator & Materials Analyst, and now carries out analysis of a wide range of collection materials including metals, ceramics, and textiles, as well as furniture and architectural finishes in the Foundation’s Materials Analysis Laboratory. Kirsten teaches polarizing light microscopy and cross-section microscopy at the Winterthur Program.

Gregory Bailey graduated in 2011 from Buffalo State College with an M.A. and C.A.S. in Art Conservation with a focus on the conservation of objects. Since that time, he has been awarded a Kress Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a Mellon Fellowship at the Walters Art Museum, where he also went on to work as Associate Conservator. He is the 2016-2017 recipient of the Booth Family Rome Prize in Historic Preservation and Conservation.  From 2017 to 2019, Greg served as Objects Conservator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery.  Greg returned to the Walters Art Museum in 2019 as Senior Objects Conservator.  Greg is a Professional Member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), for which he also serves on the Board of Directors. Greg is Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC) as well as Associate Editor for Studies in Conservation.

Ryan joined us in 2007 as our Membership Assistant. He is currently Membership Manager. After graduating from Mary Washington College in 2004 with a BA in art history and historic preservation, Ryan moved to DC, where he got his first job working for a small association management firm. After that he worked at a national arts advocacy organization.

Ryan likes living in DC where he enjoys learning about its history, its local politics, and its public transportation system. In his spare time, he likes to cook, travel, and finish the many DIY projects he has going on in his apartment.