What is your education and/or training?

I can define myself as an extremely curious person who has a strong interest for wood and plastics.
In 2001, I was trained for one month to conduct restorations on furniture (Scuole Tecniche San Carlo, Turin). Some years later I decided to explore this field and I gained a Level II Professional qualification in Furniture design and manufacturing. In 2009, I worked as a trainee for a three months period in the studio of the restorer Antonio Rava (Turin, Italy) performing restotrations on wood items and cultural objects.
Along with this practical background, I also have a scientific one. I got a BSc in Technology for conservation and restoration of cultural heritage at the University of Florence (Italy) and a MSc in Science for cultural heritage at the University of Turin (Italy). During the years at unversity I developed a passion for contemporary art and I investigated various aspects of polymer degradation and conservation. I decided to deepen my knowledge by studying: the synthesis and characterisation of green polymers (PLA) for their use as protective coatings (BSc thesis); the various uses of polymers in contemporary art (MSc thesis).
Currently, I am a third year PhD student in the School of Design at the University of Leeds (UK), where I am investigating leather, synthetic leather and composite leather degradation.