Marlen Börngen Successfully Defends PhD Dissertation

20 January 2026

Photo: CSMC

Congratulations to Marlen Börngen on defending her doctoral dissertation and completing her PhD in Archaeometry! The viva voce examination took place on 19 January 2026.

Marlen Börngen wrote her dissertation on In-field Profiling for the Examination of Manuscripts and the Imparting of Basic Practical Skills with the Support of New Media. The dissertation highlights how essential book and paper conservators are in safeguarding our shared cultural heritage. By stabilising the physical condition of manuscripts and documents, they help preserve historical information. Conservators follow a strict code of ethics learned during their training, which binds them to uphold cultural heritage and serve society. While graduate programmes in Central Europe offer strong scientific and practical training, many regions around the world lack such educational structures, leaving local heritage vulnerable due to limited expertise and resources.

Marlen’s PhD project aimed to empower library and archive staff in countries where professional training opportunities and funding are scarce. Through case studies, her thesis explores the demand for conservation education in developing and emerging nations, looking closely at the conservator’s role as a guardian of cultural identity and at how cultural contexts shape teaching methods.

Her dissertation project was part of a joint doctorate between the CSMC and the Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS) at TH Köln. You can learn more about her work in this interview.