Kiernan Graves graduated from the Courtauld Institute of Art with a master's degree in the conservation of wall paintings. She spent the first part of her career in private practice working on a range of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In the United States, her professional collaborations include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Judd Foundation. Graves has also worked for the GCI as a consultant in various capacities on projects such as the China Principles and the Conservation of América Tropical.