Dr Laura Humphreys

Trustee

With a background in museums and heritage, Laura's current role is that of Collections Information Project Manager for the Science Museum Group (SMG). She is responsible for the curatorial input into the One Collection project: a £63million collection move to a new purpose-built storage facility at the National Collections Centre in Wiltshire. This includes looking after the project’s research programme, building partnerships and applying for funding to grow an understanding of SMG’s stored collections, and leading on the Digital Engagement programme to engage online audiences with inspiring stories found in the collections.

Laura is the chair of a project board and sits on three more, including one which steers the capital build and modernisation projects around the National Collections Centre, itself a WWII Airfield. She monitors progress across several areas of delivery, manages large budgets, and regularly has to report and engage with their board of trustees, whom she works closely alongside. From this experience, Laura has learned first-hand what good trustees can do for a project in terms of advice, support, advocacy, and constructive criticism - experience that she would like to offer up as a trustee of Insole Court.

As Laura’s career in museums began in historic houses, they remain one of her passions. She started out as a tour guide and events assistant at Tredegar House and worked as a house steward for English Heritage at Chiswick House. Laura completed her PhD in the global histories and geographies of home in 2016 in collaboration with the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum) with a focus on late Victorian and early Edwardian domesticity, and in 2021, published a book on the same topic.

Laura is fascinated by the architectural, social, and economic history of Insole Court, and would love to play a part in helping to preserve the site for future generations.