Donatella Banti is a Daphne Jackson Fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art in the Department of Conservation.

Donatella had a strong first career as a research chemist; after her BSc and MSc in chemistry at the University of Pisa, she worked as a synthetic chemist for Argus Chemicals in Vernio, then as an R&D research chemist for Laviosa Chimica in Livorno.

After studying for a PhD at Kings College London on Cascade enzyme metathesis of norbornene derivatives, Donatella went on to a post doctoral position at the University of Amsterdam, a lectureship in organic chemistry at Kings College London and then a senior lecturer position at Kingston University. Donatella has a number of publications, conference proceedings and presentations from her academic career over this period.

Returning to her research after a career break of six years, Donatella’s Fellowship is sponsored by the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry and her research project is entitled: Micro-FTIR and Micro-Raman data analysis for the development of a protocol for mapping organic materials and their degradation products in 20th century paint samples: A case study on Franciszka Themerson’s material and techniques