As a talented and committed metal conservator, Francesca was awarded a QEST J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust Scholarship to support her MA in Conservation Studies at West Dean College.
Francesca set up her own private conservation practice and was invited back to teach at West Dean. More recently she has been appointed Arms and Armour Conservator at the Royal Collection Trust, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world, where she is responsible for the conservation and repair of 15,000 pieces of historic armour and weapons from many world cultures.