Liora Mael (she/her) joined the Department of Art Conservation as postdoctoral researcher in August 2023. Her research interests focus on environmental impacts on the phase state, and the chemical composition of textiles and works on paper and incorporating these findings into object storage and display practices to improve sustainability.​

Before joining UD, Liora completed her BA from Oberlin College in Chemistry and Studio Art in 2016, with a focus on physical chemistry and book arts. Following this, Liora received a PhD from the University of California, San Diego in 2021 in Analytical Chemistry where her research focused on the composition, ice nucleation, and low temperature water uptake of individual substrate deposited aerosol particles with micro-Raman spectroscopy. Throughout her BA and PhD, Liora held multiple teaching positions and fellowships, which led to her love of teaching and mentoring, and informed her community centered teaching philosophy. From 2022-2023 she held a postdoctoral fellowship in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she investigated the impacts of water uptake and atmospheric aging on wildfire smoke indoors.​​