Simon Cane is Executive Director of UCL Culture, a multifaceted department that uses cultural assets in the form of historic and contemporary collections, performance spaces, public art and knowhow to engage and connect UCL research with the world. He previously developed a career in the museums sector starting out as a conservator before diversifying into other roles across a range of institutions and locations including museums in York and Manchester, culminating as a Director of Birmingham Museums Trust before moving to UCL in 2015. He studied at Lincoln and Southampton and retains active research interests in conservation practice, ethics and iconoclasm. Whilst his background is rooted in material culture and its preservation he is equally interested in the power of knowledge and culture, their production, their sharing and their impact. He says of UCL Culture ‘We believe in the power of open and that creativity is at the heart of learning and knowledge.’