Joyce Townsend ACR
Heritage Science
Joyce is Senior Conservation Scientist, Tate Britain. Her research covers paint, making and meaning of 19th- and earlier 20th-century traditional artists’ materials generally, and research documentation for the institution, but extends to technical examination of paint on paintings, works on paper, sculpture and frame, microfading, and storage environments for historic plastics. She is an experienced research supervisor both internally and externally, has supervised or examined a number of masters and doctoral dissertations, and mentors conservators and interns at Tate.
She joined Tate in 1987 as a conservation scientist, when she worked on funded PhD research 1987-91 before becoming a member of the permanent staff. Prior to that she was Acting Chief Conservation Scientist during some of 1987, and Conservation Scientist from 1979, at Glasgow Museums (today Glasgow Life).
Qualifications: FIIC 2003, ACR 1999, PhD 1991, BSc 1979
Associations: IIC Director of Publications; IIC council member and officer; technical editor for Archetype Publications and for many congress proceedings; Co-Chair of the institute of Conservation Science until it merged with Icon and became the Icon Heritage Science Group; gave evidence in 2007 to the House of Lords Select Committee Inquiry into Science and Heritage; past editor of The Conservator and Conservation News; committee member of the former SSCR; co-organiser of many conservation conferences.