An International Interdisciplinary Scientific Committee
The Fondazione is guided by an international interdisciplinary Scientific Committee, bringing together leading experts in art history, conservation, neuroscience, psychology, sensory science, olfactory heritage, literature and cultural innovation — supporting its mission to explore the relationship between memory, art, scent and emotional wellbeing.
Historical Research & Conservation
Alan Derbyshire
Portrait Miniatures Conservator
Internationally recognised conservator specialising in portrait miniatures and works on paper, contributing expertise in their materials, techniques, preservation and interpretation.
Emma Rutherford
Art Historian & Portrait Miniatures Specialist
Art historian and leading specialist in portrait miniatures, contributing over twenty-five years of expertise in historical collections, research, attribution, cataloguing and the interpretation of miniature portraiture.
Margaux Serrano
Auctioneer, Curator & Historic Jewellery Specialist
Auctioneer, curator and specialist in historic jewellery and decorative arts, active within the Drouot art market, contributing expertise in connoisseurship, provenance research, collecting and the history and interpretation of precious objects.
Memory & Identity
Olive Young
Jewellery Entrepreneur & Cultural Advisor
Jewellery entrepreneur and cultural advisor whose work explores craftsmanship, rare gemstones and jewellery as a medium for storytelling, identity and personal expression, contributing expertise in material culture, contemporary jewellery and women’s narratives.
Dr. Rebecca Birrell
Art Historian, Writer & Curator
Art historian, writer and curator specialising in women artists, feminist art histories and archival practices, contributing expertise to the Foundation's exploration of gender, memory and the cultural legacy of women.
Science & Intangible Heritage
Dr. Cecilia Bembibre
Olfactory Heritage Scientist
Lecturer in Sustainable Heritage at UCL and a pioneering researcher in olfactory heritage, investigating historic scent as cultural heritage and its relationship with memory, sensory experience and museum interpretation.
Dr. Garmt Dijksterhuis
Sensory Scientist & Researcher
Sensory scientist and researcher whose work explores multisensory perception, consumer behaviour and sensory experience, contributing expertise in the relationship between perception, emotion and human responses to multisensory environments.
Neuroscience & Wellbeing
Dr. Valeria Ricotti
Honorary Lecturer in Developmental Neurosciences
Clinician and researcher at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, contributing expertise in developmental neuroscience, clinical research and the study of neurological function and quality of life.
Dr. Andrea Fiorentini
Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist
Psychiatrist and psychotherapist contributing expertise in mental health, emotional wellbeing and the relationship between psychological experience, perception and immersive cultural environments.
Poetry, Literature & Cultural Narratives
Giorgio Maria Cornelio
Poet, Filmmaker & Researcher
Italian poet, filmmaker and researcher whose work moves across literature, visual culture and performance, exploring memory, imagination and transformation, contributing a distinctive contemporary perspective on the relationship between artistic practice, cultural heritage and new forms of storytelling.
Heike Blümner
Cultural Journalist & Writer
Berlin-based journalist and writer specialising in art, craft, design, jewellery and cultural heritage, contributing an international perspective on storytelling, material culture and the people and practices that shape our relationship with objects, places and memory.
Thomas Helm
Writer & Cultural Communication Strategist
Writer, editor and journalist, contributing expertise in shaping narratives that connect institutions, ideas and contemporary audiences.
