Waldthausen, who has been part of the programme since 2014, established the specialty in Photograph Conservation that was launched in 2015. She begins her new position as Programme Director as of August 1, succeeding Suzanne Maarschalkerweerd-Dechamps, who stepped down last January after working tirelessly to develop the programme throughout the past 10 years.

Waldthausen, is a well-known member of the photograph conservation community in which she has been active for more than 15 years as photograph conservator, conservation educator, board member and researcher. She has lectured and published internationally on a number of important topics including the identification of coatings on 19^th century paper photographs, flaking Autochrome emulsions, albumen glass plate negatives and the drying of water-soaked photograph collections in the Netherlands. Her current research questions the authenticity and reproducibility of faded chromogenic photographs in fine art collections and the criteria used when reprinting these analogue photographs.

The UvA C&R programme currently offers graduate degrees in: Paintings; Textiles; Glass, Ceramics and Stone; Metals; Book and Paper; Contemporary Art, Historic Interiors and Photograph Conservation as well as in Technical Art History. Since, 2015, the programme is taught in English attracting students from all parts of the world. Waldthausen is thrilled to work together with the dedicated team of lecturers and professors to further the programme, expand on the collaboration with partners Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (RMA), the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and other Dutch institutions as a member of the Netherlands Institute for Conservation Art and Science (NICAS), and to develop innovative approaches for education and learning.