Sejal Goel
Sejal Goel
Object Conservator
Sejal Goel
Sejal Goel
Object Conservator
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About Me

Hello! I’m Sejal Goel
I’m an archaeologist and object conservator originally from Colorado, USA. I moved to the United Kingdom for university and fell in love with heritage, museums, and archaeology.

I enjoy working with my hands, particularly when it comes to metalworking and jewellery craft. I’ve also grown to love working with modern materials, including plastic and have an interest in the conservation of foodstuff. 

I built this website to display my portfolio and to share blogs involving my interests and previous research foci. 

Please contact me at goelsconservation@gmail.com with any questions or queries. 



Publications and Conference Papers

Goel, S. (2022). Transitioning to more Environmentally Sustainable Practices in Laboratories [Poster], Durham Castle Conference, Durham University, Durham, UK.

 

Goel, S. (2023a). All that Glitters is a Nightmare. Scroll: A Journal by the Student Conservators at Melbourne, [online] 3, pp.19–25. 

 

Goel, S. (2023b). Modern Objects Require Modern Solutions. Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Newsletter, Spring 2023, pp.4–9.

 

Goel, S. (2023c). The ACT UP Coffin. Missouri Historical Society. 

 

Goel, S. (2024). Sustainability Now! Sustainable Exhibit Design. [online] American Institute for Conservation. 

 

Goel, S., Peters, N., and Ritchie, F. (2025) ‘Fit to Float: Conservation of a Painted Canvas and Birch Bark Canoe’, American Institute of Conservation Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, MN. May 30, 2025.



Fun Facts


4 Years Excavation Experience

26 Countries Visited

Over 500 Hours of jewellery work

>100 Postcards

Resume
Experience
Oct. 2024 - Dec. 2025
Assistant Objects Conservator
Williamstown Art Conservation Center

Williamstown, MA., USA

  • Designed and implemented conservation treatments for a wide range of objects
  • Provided condition surveys and preventive conservation recommendations for collections in varying environments
  • Implemented and managed the treatment of outdoor metal sculptures requiring scaffolding
  • Mould remediation of ethnographic materials including wood, ceramics, metal, and ivory
  • Instructor for Williams College Grad Art Programme class ARTH508 Art and Conservation
    • Introduction to preventive conservation, technical art history and degradation of materials including metal, ceramic, glass, and plastics
  • Oversaw exhibition installation and deinstallation and provided condition notes for loans at the Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA.)
Jun. 2023 - Jun. 2025
Voting Member Sustainability Committee
American Institute of Conservation

Remote

  • Managed DistList, forum posts, and social media
  • Worked to make sustainability more visible in conservation spaces 
  • Raised awareness for Climate Change related conservation issues 
  • Recipients of the 2025 AIC President's Award for exceptional performance in the profession of conservation 
Oct. 2023 - Oct. 2024
Great Basin Institute Post Graduate Fellow in Objects Conservation
National Park Service

Charles Town, WV., USA

  • Design and implementation of conservation treatments for a wide range of objects 
    • Materials include organic composites, metal, wood, leather
    • Periods ranging from 1860s to modern day 
    • Historic firearms 
    • Onsite object treatment, rehousing and care
  • Condition survey and recommendations for collections in varying environments 
  • Implemented and managed project for researching, polishing, and coating over 100 silver/silver plated objects
  • Historic Firearms Training 
  • Object photography 
    • Treatment photography
    • Multispectral imaging (Infrared and Ultra-Violet) 
  • Material analysis using pXRF, FTIR, and PLM
Sept. 2022 - Sept. 2023
Kress Fellow in Object Conservation
Missouri Historical Society

St. Louis, MO., USA

  • Primary conservator for Missouri History Museum’s Gateway to Pride Exhibit
  • Design and implementation of conservation treatments for a wide range of objects
    • Organic composites, modern composites, metal, plastics
  • Research regarding care and conservation of prescription drugs in a modern composite art piece
  • Oddy Testing (Met Procedure)
  • Exhibition installation and de-installation
    • St. Louis Sound Deinstallation
    • Soccer City Installation
    • World's Fair
      • McCabe Carriage deinstallation
  • Conservation of oversized objects in situ
    • Suspended Spirit of St. Louis II 
    • McCabe Carriage
  • Handling training instructor
  • Arsenic Testing (Odegaard Procedure) 
  • Cellulose Nitrate Testing (Odegaard Procedure) 
  • Mould Remediation
Oct. 2021 - Jul. 2022
Trainee Conservator
Conservation and Museum Advisory Service (CMAS)

Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK

  • Design and implementation of conservation treatments for objects
    • Basic archival conservation 
    • Anoxia for large objects 
  • Environmental Monitoring 
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 
  • Advising local museums surrounding IPM and environmental monitoring, as well as basic collections care
  • Photography
  • Basic mount making
  • Designed a training course for museum professionals on the care and storage of medals and coins
  • Created an energy sustainability plan for both lab and office spaces 
Jun. - Aug. 2020
Intern
Sela for Vocational Training and Protection of Cultural Heritage

Wadi Musa, Jordan (Remote)

  • Market Research looking at Social Enterprising Companies
  • Worked on social Media strategies
    • Including blog and post writing
  • Research into intangible heritage, customs and eating traditions
Jan.-Apr. 2020
Lab Assistant
Durham University Archaeology Department

Durham, UK

  • Sample preparation for materials analysis
    • Soil and coarseware ceramics
    • Pellet and bead creation for WDXRF analysis
  • Cataloguing of pottery for further study
    • Data entry
Sept. 2019
Student
Divisão de Cultura, Património, e Museus de Tavira

Tavira, Portugal 

  • Helped perform a complete survey of pottery from two different kilns
    • Characterised and quantified ceramic materials from the 16th Century
    • Recording materials
    • Cataloguing small finds
  • Drawing form samples
  • Basic reconstruction of vessels
Jun. 2018
Student Archaeologist
Durham University Archaeological Services

Bishop Auckland, UK

  • Excavation of Auckland Castle
  • Discovered the lost chapel of Bishop Bek
  • Ceramic Building Material (CBM) Measurements and Recording
Jul. 2017
Student Archaeologist
American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR)

Naousa, Greece

  • Excavation of a Roman Bath site (3 time periods)
  • Osteoarchaeological Excavation
  • Onsite mosaic conservation
Jul. 2016
Student Archaeologist
American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR)
Zorita de Los Canes, Spain
  • Excavation of a medieval castle
  • Osteoarchaeological excavation
  • Basic onsite osteological conservation
Education
Continued Professional Development
  • IMLS Inspire! Grants for Small Museums Field Reviewer (March 2025)
    • Reviewed grant applications for the Institute of Museum and Library Services involving conservation in order to provide insight into the viability and appropriateness of projects.
  • Lasers in Conservation: Nd-YAG and Er-YAG Workshop (May 2024, AIC and Adam Jenkins)
  • Sidney S. Williston Memorial Fund scholarship recipient for membership of the Washington Conservation Guild
  • Block-lifting Archaeological Artifacts Workshop (March 2023, FAIC, Arizona State Museum, and Nancy Odegaard)
    • Individual professional development scholarship from the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation and the National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Integrated Pest Managment Workshop (Sept. 2022)
    • Pat Kelley 
    • In connection with the Missouri Historical Society
2020-2022
Durham University
Durham, UK

MA Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects (Merit) 

  • Conserved and restored a wide range of materials (organic and inorganic ranging from 2nd c. CE - 1960CE)
    • See a Sample of Reports Here
  • Environmental recording for preventive conservation
  • Essays surrounding:
    • The conservation of desiccated and waterlogged human remains 
    • The desalination of iron 
  • 2 Artefact Biographies
  • Primary research paper regarding environmental sustainability in lab settings
  • Poster Presenter at the Durham Castle Conference (2022)
    • Sustainability in Laboratory Settings (See Here) 
2017-2020
Durham University
Durham, UK

BSc Archaeology (Class I) 

  • Basic training in glass analysis, numismatics, SEM, and osteology
  • Dissertation on pottery production in the Algarve region of Portugal during the early modern era using archaeometry 
  • Excavation Skills
  • Site drawing, technical drawing, photogrammetry 
  • Part of the Department of Archaeology's Decolonisation group 
Skills
  • Research
  • Graphite Drawing
  • Microsoft Office
  • Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator
  • Painting/Colour Matching
Knowledge
  • Onsite Finds Cleaning and Processing
  • Boxmaking
  • Air Abrasion
  • X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
  • FTIR
  • Jewellery Soldering and Rivetting
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
Soft Skills
  • Analytical
  • Fast Learner
  • Creative
  • Organised
  • Works Well with Others
My Work
Publications
Content
Video Gallery
Content, Gallery, Image, Video
Charles Lindbergh’s Airaft
Content, Gallery, Image, Video
Environmental Sustainability
Content, Gallery, Image
Outreach and Presentations
Content, Gallery, Image, Video
Sela for Vocational Training and Protection of Cultural Heritage
Content, Gallery, Image
Sejal at Work
Content, Gallery, Image
Sample Treatment Reports
Content, Gallery, Image
Conservation
Content, Gallery, Image
Drawings
Content, Gallery, Image
Restoration
Content, Gallery, Image
Skulls for Exhibition
Content, Gallery, Image
Jewellery
Content, Gallery, Image
Blog
July 15, 2024 The Whole Kit and Caboodle

The Deterioration and Preventive Conservation of a Caboodle of Cosmetics Makeup has been used for millennia; from the kohl remnants…

April 28, 2022 How Far do We Take It?

A Discussion on the Ethics of Painting 60-year-old Anatomical Models Conservation has been described as “the means by which the…

October 21, 2021 Why does Displaying Broken, Dirty, and Corroded Objects Limit Audience’s Understandings of the Past?

Overall, when objects are dirty, broken, or corroded, important details can be obscured, limiting the information that objects can present…

April 3, 2023 Archaeological Block-Lifting

At the beginning of March, I attended an Archaeological Block-Lifting workshop in Tucson, Arizona with Dr. Nancy Odegaard and Gina Watkinson. This workshop centred around teaching conservators how to assist archaeologists in protecting objects whilst excavating through block-lifting. This ensures the retention of as much material, and therefore information as possible.  

December 23, 2022 Caring for Collections during Conflict

In any museum, security measures should be taken in order to protect collections from theft or vandalism. However, these measures must be heightened when it comes to periods of conflict. This blog talks about taking care of objects and ensuring their safety during times of conflict

Get in Touch
  • Email: Goelsconservation@gmail.com