Emma studies towards PhD at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at University of Ljubljana. Her work focuses on the Odotheka project, specifically the development of an international archive of olfactory heritage, using the heritage science approach, in a close collaboration with the Cracow University of Economics in Poland and cultural heritage experts from the National Museum of Krakow and the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana. This allows her to study different types of objects of historical significance that could be associated with olfactory heritage.
Through analysis, her research interest is the chemical and olfactory characterization of odours of 10 selected collection items, coupling volatile organic compound analysis with sensory analysis. Her main aim is to authentically reproduce the smells of selected items, exploring their effective and safe display in multisensory museums, in order to give to the audience a new museum exhibition experience.
Emma obtained her Bachelor Degree at the University of Venice in “Technology for conservation and restoration”. Following that, she received her Master Degree in “Science for the conservation-restoration of cultural heritage” at the University of Bologna, with a thesis project focused on Raman spectroscopy of synthetic pigments and developed in collaboration with the Raman Spectroscopy Research Group at the University of Ghent.
For more details about the project please see the Odotheka project webpage or contact Emma.