Radical heritage science: ideas and methods for social good

To be radical is to address the root causes of problems. Can heritage science do it? In an era marked by climate crisis and political confusion, it is essential that scientists embrace their social responsibility. The National Heritage Science Forum has highlighted public value as a core principle of UK heritage science and has outlined the societal challenges the discipline can confront: sustainability, climate, wellbeing, equality and the digital transition.

Because heritage science serves heritage, and heritage has widely recognised social benefits, we can usually claim impact through the impact of heritage. But I am interested in the direct benefits of heritage science. Can heritage science generate direct social good? Or is it simply beneficial because heritage is beneficial?

In this lecture I will trace a decade of evolution in key heritage science concepts, mapping their interconnections and illustrating how they can generate a different understanding of difficult problems. I will focus on a series of intersecting strands:

1. computational modelling combined with citizen science
2. citizen science combined with damage functions and collections demography
3. damage functions combined with climate risk

Each of these connections exemplify how heritage science uses unexpected pairings of technologies and methods to further heritage sustainability. We will also explore how research outcomes can inform decision‑making at multiple scales, from individual historic sites to national policy, through bold ideas such as the Culture and Heritage Capital framework.

Recent national and European investments in research infrastructure highlight the strong reputation of heritage science for interpreting the past. However, interpretation and material analysis represent only part of the field’s potential. Historically, heritage science has pioneered methods that enable sustainable management and evidence‑based decisions. The next step is to bring these methods to the foreground and deploy them for social good.

Josep Grau-Bové is Director and Professor in Heritage Science at UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage. Prof Grau-Bové is a heritage scientist with a special interest in simulation and preventive conservation. He currently leads the Integrating Lifetimes in Heritage Capital (ITHACA) project, funded by the AHRC, which focuses on integrating damage functions into heritage capital approaches. His involvement with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) on predicting heritage lifetimes reflects his ongoing work in this area. He also participates in the international projects Getty Art and Sustainability Fellowships and GREENHER. In addition to his research, Prof Grau-Bové is actively involved in the creation of research infrastructures for heritage science, contributing to initiatives like the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) and its UK counterpart, ERIHS-UK.

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