Philippe Walter is a chemist specializing in the study of cultural heritage materials. Born in 1967 in Saint-Cloud, he studied physics and materials science as part of the inter-university magistère in physics at the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud - Lyon (1986-1990). He then joined the Musées de France research laboratory and the geochemistry laboratory at Toulouse's Paul-Sabatier University, where he obtained his doctorate in Earth Sciences in 1993. Recruited to the CNRS by the Institut de Chimie, he was in charge of, then director of research at the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France until 2011. He headed the CNRS team there from 2008 to 2011 and, in early 2012, set up the Laboratoire d'archéologie moléculaire et structurale at Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University (Paris 6), a new joint research unit with the CNRS.
His research has led him to develop innovative instruments for the analysis of micro-samples or directly on works of art. He contributed to the development of ion beam analysis with the AGLAE gas pedal installed at the Palais du Louvre, where he headed the team from 2003 to 2011, and where he is currently the scientific director of the New AGLAE project to transform the gas pedal. He is also interested in the use of synchrotron radiation to analyze ancient cosmetics and paintings. He played a pioneering role in this field, and brought the national community together by proposing the creation of the Synchrotron and Heritage research group, of which he was deputy director from 2004 to 2007. At the same time, he led the construction of prototypes of portable, lightweight analysis instruments, enabling work to be carried out on archaeological sites or in museums. These tools have enabled him to carry out a number of studies, notably on the body paintings of mummies in China and Chile. To carry out these technological developments, he has worked with numerous experimental teams in France and abroad, in particular in Grenoble with the Néel Institute and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF).
His work in the field of archaeology and art has led him to cover a wide range of periods, from prehistory to the modern era. He has directed various research programs, including one on ancient cosmetic habits, in collaboration with L'Oréal's research laboratories for 16 years. He characterized the compositions and properties of make-up, both on female statuettes from the Upper Paleolithic and in Egyptian and Roman blush bottles. He has also studied the paintings of ornate caves, Egyptian and Greco-Roman tombs and Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci. His work helps us to understand the evolution of techniques used during the artist's lifetime or over the course of centuries, and to better understand those who conceived and produced these works. This research also shows that artistic manifestations are a possible key to rediscovering the history of chemistry.