Nobuyuki Kamba received his Ph.D. from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1997. He started his career as a conservator at the restoration laboratory of the Sokei School of Fine Art, then became an associate research fellow and an associate professor at the Museum Science Department of the National Museum of Japanese History in 1984 and 1992, respectively. He was head of the conservation section at the Tokyo National Museum in 1998–2015.
In 1985 he joined the International Center of Conservation in Rome as a research fellow by obtaining a UNESCO Fellowship. In 1989 he served in The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, as a research fellow of the Japanese Ministry of Education.
He has focused on preventive conservation in the museum and the practical conservation of museum objects, and his current work includes establishment of a primary care system for museum objects and development of disaster preparedness. He is a member of the Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property, the International Institute for Conservation, and the International Council of Museums. He has published many articles concerning conservation science, and as a freelance conservator, he is currently engaged in a mission to preserve the dignity of objects and their authors and owners.