Soraya Alcalà

Soraya Alcalá is Head of Paintings Conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she oversees the treatment and research of paintings across the collection. Trained in cultural heritage conservation at the University of Barcelona and the University of Pisa, she brings both scientific foundation and a global perspective in cultural heritage conservation to her work. Her international career includes positions at renowned institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, and the Opera della Primaziale Pisana. In addition to her institutional roles, Soraya operated a successful private conservation studio in New York for nearly a decade, working with a wide range of museums, galleries, and private collectors.Her research centers on innovative cleaning methods, particularly gel-based systems, and materials analysis. She frequently leads professional workshops focused on the cleaning of sensitive artworks, and her work has been published in Journal of Cultural Heritage, Heritage Science, and Microchemical Journal.