Vanessa Otero

Vanessa Otero serves as a Junior Researcher at NOVA University Lisbon's Faculty of Science and Technology, actively contributing to the Department of Conservation and Restoration through research and teaching in cultural heritage preservation. Her work focuses on the chemical analysis and degradation mechanisms of historical artifacts, particularly pigments, inks, and glass-based materials from pre-industrial and 19th-century contexts.

Her research spans two interconnected domains: conservation science of historical materials and environmental pollution studies. In cultural heritage, she investigates iron gall inks, magic lantern slides, and historical pigments like madder lake and cadmium yellow using advanced analytical techniques including NMR and Raman spectroscopy. Simultaneously, she examines microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems across Antarctica and the North Atlantic, utilizing biological samplers such as penguins and wild fish to assess ecological and human health impacts.

Analysis of her 2020-2025 publications reveals a distinctive interdisciplinary approach bridging historical conservation with contemporary environmental challenges. Over 60% of her recent work involves collaborations with the Winsor & Newton historical archive to decode 19th-century pigment manufacturing processes, while the remainder addresses microplastic contamination pathways and sustainable remediation methods. This dual focus demonstrates how historical material science informs modern environmental solutions, particularly in developing green conservation approaches and understanding anthropogenic pollution impacts on fragile ecosystems.