Marine Cotte

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) & CNRS

Following a PhD thesis carried out at the Centre of Research and Restoration of French Museums, (C2RMF, formerly UMR171 CNRS, Paris), on lead-based cosmetics and pharmaceutical compounds used in Antiquity, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), Marine Cotte obtained a CNRS research scientist position at LAMS (Structural and Molecular archaeology laboratory), UMR-8220, Sorbonne University, Paris.  She is currently seconded at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) as the beamline scientist in charge of the ID21 beamline, a beamline dedicated to X-ray and infrared micro-spectroscopy, with various applications in the fields of cultural heritage, biology and environmental sciences as well. More particularly, she combines development and application of synchrotron-based microscopes for the study of ancient and artistic materials sampled in historical paintings, ceramics, papyrus, photographs, among others. These micro-analyses usually aim at revealing masters’ secrets or at understanding degradation phenomena for the better preservation of our heritage.