Staff

Jennifer Jae Gutierrez

Executive Director

Jennifer Jae Gutierrez joined IPI in 2017. She provides leadership and strategic direction for the research center, with more than twenty years of experience as a preservation administrator, photograph conservator, and conservation educator. Jae has a MSc in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware specializing in photograph conservation. Prior to her appointment at RIT, Jae was the Arthur J. Bell Senior Photograph Conservator at the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) where she established the institution’s conservation department. Before that, she held a faculty appointment in the Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware (UD) where she taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in preventive conservation, conservation ethics, and the conservation of photographic materials. She also served as Associate Director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation from 2010-2012.

Jean-Louis Bigourdan

Jean-Louis Bigourdan

Research Scientist Emeritus

Jean-Louis Bigourdan joined IPI in 1994 to research the effects of enclosures and microenvironments on photographic film stability and the effects of cycling environmental conditions on library and archives materials. His research contributions led to the development of practical strategies for preserving film collections and most notably the development of FilmCare.org. In 2016, he received the Silver Light Award for outstanding career achievement in moving image archives from the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) in recognition for his contributions to the field of film preservation. In 2021, he retired from his position as Senior Research Scientist and was awarded Emeritus status for his dedication to the field and IPI.

Marvin Cummings, PhD

Marvin Cummings, PhD

Research Scientist

Marvin Cummings joined IPI in 2022 and is responsible for helping develop advanced data science initiatives that will help address key problems across cultural heritage in preservation science. Marvin brings extensive research experience from the technology sector, with a solid interdisciplinary background across the physical sciences, engineering and archeometry. Prior to his appointment at IPI, he held positions as Program Manager at the New York Academy of Sciences, as a Researcher at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, and a Product Engineer at Texas Instruments. Marvin was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Getty Conservation Institute, J. Paul Getty Museum and Foundation between 2011-2012, where he studied the chemistry and microstructure of 6th to 4th century B.C. Black and Red-Figure ceramics from ancient Greece, using an array of microscopy and x-ray techniques. This interdisciplinary Fellowship initiated his interest in the application of data science principles for the advancement of conservation and preservation.

Meredith Noyes, PhD

Meredith Noyes, PhD

Research Scientist

Meredith Noyes joined IPI in 2020. She performs research related to materials used for storage, transport, and display of cultural heritage collections and also manages the operation of IPI’s testing services. Meredith has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Oregon, where she gained experience in a variety of material characterization methods while studying nanomaterials for use in lithography applications. Prior to IPI, she held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute, conducting collections-based research in the microanalysis laboratory.

Jacek Olender, PhD

Jacek Olender, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jacek Olender joined IPI in 2023 to manage the materials testing experiments for the IMLS-funded research project, Mapping Environmental Conditions That Prevent Plastic Deterioration While Contributing to Sustainable Preservation Environmental Management. He is conducting research using advanced thermo-mechanical analytical techniques and data analytics to quantify the impact of changing environments on the mechanical properties of plastic composites, with a view to identifying safe storage, display, and handling conditions for historic plastics. He was awarded his PhD in 2020 from The Courtauld Institute of Art, where he investigated the potential application of state-of-the-art gecko-inspired dry adhesives in art conservation. Prior to joining IPI, Jacek held the position of Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, where he further developed his research skills and understanding of the physical properties of novel adhesives.

Emma Richardson, PhD

Emma Richardson, PhD

Director of Research

Emma Richardson joined IPI in 2021 and is responsible for guiding IPI’s research agenda. Emma has extensive research and leadership experience in the applied sciences, and an impressive professional record in higher education with a focus on cultural heritage. Prior to her appointment at IPI, she held the position of Group Lead for Analytics and Modelling within the Department of Data Science, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK National Measurement Institute. Before joining NPL, she was Associate Professor of Materials and Head of the Material Studies Laboratory in the Department of History of Art, University College London. She has also held posts as Research Fellow at the Getty Conservation Institute and Conservation Research Scientist at The National Archives UK, working with diverse museum and archive collections.

Denise Schwan

Denise Schwan

Financial and Operations Assistant

Denise Schwan joined IPI in 2022 and provides customer service for ecommerce and enterprise activities, along with financial and accounting support and reconciliation. Denise has a BS in Management from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Prior to coming to IPI, Denise held positions at the Saunders College of Business at RIT starting in 2018. She also held positions as a retail manager and licensed property and casualty insurance agent.