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Imaging and Sensing for Archaeology, Art History and Conservation (ISAAC) Research Centre

Description

Nottingham Trent University's ISAAC Research Centre specialises in developing cutting edge, mobile, non-invasive and non-destructive imaging, spectroscopy and remote sensing systems tailored for cultural heritage applications. 

These systems along with a range of complementary state-of-the-art commercial instruments are used both in our ISAAC Mobile Lab (MOLAB) for in situ analysis of cultural assets at museums and heritage sites, and as a FIXLAB facility at our premises. Along with the novel data science methods of the ISAAC DigiLab, the instruments are applied to solving conservation, art history, archaeology and other arts and humanities research questions.

The centre provides Mobile Lab and DigiLab access to all Heritage Institutions, including museums, art galleries, libraries, archives, and archaeological and historic sites, where the mobile and long-range equipment can safely assess the objects and monuments in situ and at a distance, without the need for scaffolding.

For example, it has the most comprehensive range of in-house developed Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) systems covering a broad range of wavelengths, including long wavelength OCT systems for deeper penetration into scattering materials. It has a unique suite of remote imaging and spectroscopy instruments including spectral imaging and various laser induced spectroscopy (e.g. Raman) that can operate at distances up to tens of metres.

The ISAAC team specialises in interdisciplinary research at the interface between science and heritage, from instrument development, data science to interpretation of results for heritage applications. The team has provided access and collaborated with all the national museums and heritage organisations and some regional museums in the UK, as well as major international heritage organisations.

The ISAAC Mobile Lab has carried out analysis at heritage organisations around the world from Europe to the USA, China and New Zealand. It enables multi-modal and in situ analysis of nearly all types of heritage materials and objects. It focuses on non-invasive analysis of materials from identification of materials (e.g. pigments and other materials), monitoring of degradation, revealing of hidden or faded drawings and writings, imaging of surface and subsurface microstructure and stratigraphy, study of historic manufacturing techniques, provenance, painting techniques, investigating causes of degradation, monitoring conservation treatments etc.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

2006

Contact details

United Kingdom
Website: https://www.isaac-lab.com/
Public email: ISAAC@ntu.ac.uk
  • @labisaac

On the map

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Categorisation

Type

  • University-based infrastructure
  • Lab

Project Tags

  • Archaeology tag
  • Art tag
  • Artificial intelligence tag
  • Cultural studies tag
  • Data science tag
  • Engineering tag
  • Heritage tag
  • History tag
  • Museum studies tag

University affiliation(s)

Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham

Partner Infrastructures

Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)

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Historic England

Historic England is the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment. It protects, champions and saves the places that define who we are and w… read more about Historic England

London

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. It aims to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. The Royal Horti… read more about Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The mission here at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst is to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. Earth is the only planet in the universe t… read more about Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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British Museum

The British Museum actively promotes academic research of the highest quality by its own staff, and supports the research of others. This research is intended to advance the care, display and public u… read more about British Museum

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Historic Royal Palaces Institute

Historic Royal Palaces is made up by a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. It creates space for spirits to stir and be stirred. It wants everyone to … read more about Historic Royal Palaces Institute

East Molesey

National Trust

The National Trust looks after places for everyone, for ever, but the world around us is constantly changing. Research helps the National Trust to understand these changes, learn more about the places… read more about National Trust

Swindon

Victoria and Albert Museum

The V&A was the first museum in the world to establish a dedicated Research Department and it continues to be a core activity of the Museum today. It plays a leading role in binding together the f… read more about Victoria and Albert Museum

London

British Library

Research is central to the British Library's role as the national library of the United Kingdom. It helps the British Library to share their collections and intellectual heritage with people across th… read more about British Library

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Science Museum Group

Tracing its origins from the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Science Museum has pioneered interactive science interpretation for more than eight decades and is the most visited museum in the UK by schoo… read more about Science Museum Group

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The National Archives

The National Archives collect and secure the future of the government record, from Shakespeare’s will to tweets from Downing Street, to preserve it for generations to come, making it as accessib… read more about The National Archives

Richmond

Partner Universities

University of Kent

University of Southampton

Additional Partnerships

University of Sydney; University of Science & Technology of China; University of Science & Technology of Beijing; University of Western Australia; University of Curtin (Australia); University of Canterbury (NZ); Yale University (USA); National Gallery; Tate; Royal Pavilion; English Heritage; Nottingham Castle Museum; Birmingham Museum & Gallery; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Bodleian Library, Oxford; Peterborough Cathedral; National Museum of Ireland; Louvre Museum (France); C2RMF (France), LRMH (Paris); Fondation Beyeler (Switzerland); National Museum of China; Shaan Xi History Museum (China); Dunhuang Academy (China); Getty Conservation Inst. (USA); Brooklyn Museum (USA); Museums of New Mexico (USA); Museum of International Folk Art (USA); Hispanic Society of America (USA); Library of Congress (USA); Smithsonian Inst. (USA); Indiana University (USA)

Last modified:

2025-03-28 10:49:20

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