Jean-Louis Bigourdan is a senior research scientist at the Image Permanence Institute (IPI), Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA. He has a background in Chemistry, photography and conservation of photographic materials. He received his diploma in the conservation of photographs from the Institut Français de Restauration des Oeuvres d’Art (IFROA), Paris, France in 1993. Since 1994, he has been active in the field of preservation research at IPI. Most notably, he has been studying the effect of enclosures and microenvironments on the stability of cellulose acetate photographic film. He also has been investigating the effect of cycling environmental conditions on library and archives materials. His contribution has led to the development of practical strategies for preserving film collections and he is currently developing a web-based application addressing the preservation of film materials. He has been conducting research dealing with the preservation of magnetic tape collections. He has conducted numerous collection surveys. Currently, he is investigating new methodologies for sustainable HVAC operation in collection environments based upon the implementation of dynamic management of temperature and humidity control equipment. His research results have been disseminated at numerous international technical conferences and have been widely published.