Catherine H. Stephens holds a PhD in macromolecular science and engineering and BA degrees in both chemistry and art history. She is currently the Sally and Michael Gordon Conservation Scientist in the David Booth Conservation Department at the Museum of Modern Art. Previously, she worked in the department of Scientific Research at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2016-2021). She worked with Paul Whitmore at both the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Yale University (2013 - 2016) and the Art Conservation Research Center at Carnegie Mellon University (2004 - 2013). Her specialties include: studying the degradation mechanisms and structure-property relationships of polymeric materials (e.g., paper, cellulose acetate, foamed epoxies) found in museums. Her work at The Met focused on evaluating environmental conditions, identifying potentially hazardous chemical compounds found in materials proposed for use in display, storage and transport, and developing novel analytical techniques that ensure the longevity of collections. At MoMA she works on analyzing the collection and evaluating environmental conditions to protect the collection.