Samantha Alderson

Assistant Director, Science Conservation

Assistant Director, Science Conservation

Headshot of Samantha Alderson standing in front of a rhododendron.
Email:
saldersonSPAMFILTER@amnh.org
Phone:
212-769-5446

Education

Samantha received an advanced certificate in the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and a MA in the History of Art and Archaeology from the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in 1994, and BA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. She has held several positions at AMNH since starting as an intern in the Anthropology Conservation lab in 1993. In 2021 she became the Assistant Director of Conservation.  

Research Interests

Samantha is a conservator specializing in care of objects in the collection of the Anthropology Division in addition to her museum-wide responsibilities. She has researched, presented, and published on a wide variety of topics including the conservation of material culture from the Pacific Northwest and Siberia, archaeological ceramics from Mesoamerica, adhesives for conservation, and tools for climate monitoring in museums. 

Teaching Experience

Samantha regularly teaches advanced courses in objects conservation at The Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has also lectured on various conservation related topics at other graduate programs at New York University, Columbia University, and the Bard Graduate Center.