Welcome, Alana

We are pleased to welcome Alana Ker Mercer as our new coordinator. She comes to the London Institute from the worlds of art and literature, having read English Literature at Durham University and studied for an MPhil in History of Art at Trinity College Dublin. There she wrote papers about the commercialisation of art, interwar artistic experimentation and female wood engravers employed by the Golden Cockerel Press.

Following her postgraduate studies, Mercer worked for Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, where she helped orchestrate sales of Chinese and Japanese art, including the scroll collection of the penultimate Viceroy of India, Earl Wavell.

At the London Institute, she will orchestrate the efficient running of the organisation. This involves everything from organising events and coordinating diaries, to supporting scientists in their work, communicating results, and researching the history of the Royal Institution, where we’re based.

In her spare time, Mercer is a keen sportswoman who has competed internationally at hockey. She enjoys open water swimming and trail running and is also a keen collector of rare books and prints.