Jane draws upon over 25 years experience in transdisciplinary research, with a background in textile design and extensive experience of computer graphic imaging.  Jane’s role includes working with internal and external stakeholders including industry partners, up to Government Ministerial level.

Jane devised novel approaches to the digital representation of dress and textiles. With a track record of leading collaborative industry and academic research and development initiatives, involving cross disciplinary creative industry practitioners. Jane’s experience includes board-level representation in sector-leading organisations such as the Victoria & Albert Museum and advisory roles for the EU, EPSRC, AHRC, ACE and Arts Foundation. She is Director of Research and Innovation (Stratford) and Professor of Digital Design & Innovation at University of the Arts London. Core skills and competences include:

• Strategic leadership and project direction
• Design research in digital and material cultures
• CGI for fashion and textiles
• Knowledge Exchange

Kate is Professor of Circular Design and Innovation and Co-Director of the Centre for Circular Design at UAL, a world-leading research centre using practice research to innovate, steer and support circular economies and communities around the globe. Kate’s design research operates at the intersection of materials science with design and sustainability principles. As industry and Governments raise the priority of sustainable business, Kate has undertaken a range of industrial consultancy projects for fashion and textiles organisations including Worn Again Technologies Ltd, Filippa K, VF Corporation and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Core skills and competences include:

• Laser finishing for fashion and textiles
• Circular economy and circular design research
• Sustainable business consultancy in the fashion sector

Rebecca combines expertise in transdisciplinary design with an enterprising mindset.  She leads collaborative research projects which draw together different disciplines across design, the arts, sciences and humanities around complex societal challenges, with high levels of partnership involvement. She is the Associate Dean for Enterprise in the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University, Professor in Transdisciplinary Design and is the current Vice-Chair of the Design Research Society.

Core skills and competencies include:

• Leadership and project direction
• Knowledge Exchange
• Transdisciplinary research methods

Susanne’s extensive experience and expertise in material cultural studies includes working with a wide range of industrial partners, and understanding the opportunities represented by, and innovating with, alternative materials. An anthropologist of international renown, Susanne leads a forward-thinking Department at UCL, which consciously seeks to bring anthropological insights to bear on contemporary industrial challenges.  Susanne has led large-scale RCUK, EU Commission and consultancy projects with businesses seeking to understand the cultural impacts of their practice. Core skills and competences include:

• Uptake and acceptance of new material innovations
• Culture and commerce
• Ethnographic research

Alessandra is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Bologna in Italy where she has held a Marie Curie Fellowship from 2012 to 2018 and works as a Senior Research Fellow at London College of Fashion at the University of London Arts in the UK. Among other areas, her research operates at the intersection of international business and fashion, with a focus on the internationalization of fashion businesses, brand acquisition and the influence of disruptive technologies on fashion and textile companies. Core skills and competences include:

• Fashion business and management
• Mixed-methods business research
• International partnership building

Founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the University of the Arts London, the internationally renowned research, policy and education centre focusing on sustainability issues as these intersect with the fashion industry. A regular contributor to national and international press, central to my philosophy is the applicability of research findings to industry stakeholders in practice settings. Testament to this approach are my positions on the Observer Ethical Awards judging panel and as Co-secretariat to the House of Lords All Party Parliamentary Group on Fashion, Sustainability and Ethics. Core skills and competences include:

• Fashion Design for Sustainability methods and practices for designers
• Fashion Design for Sustainability teaching and learning frameworks
• Sustainability thought leadership

Following a career in the aerospace industry, and as Engineering Systems Manager at Martin-Baker Engineering – the world’s leading manufacturer of ejection seats, Steve transitioned to researching and developing sustainable solutions for industrial manufacturing. Since joining the University of Cambridge as Director of the Centre for Industrial Sustainability, he has led over £15m-worth of academic-industry collaborative projects with partners including Unilever, Toyota, Dyson, Airbus, M&S, JLR, ASICS, Hugo Boss, Brandix and ASDA. Core skills and competences include:

• Sustainable business consultancy for manufacturing
• Toolkit development
• Industrial collaboration

Veronika is a Reader in Material Technology and Design at LCF where she is developing novel biomimetic approaches to design and innovation of Active Material Systems within the textile industry that intersect biology, material engineering and textile design. Veronika is an LCF graduate who was awarded a PhD scholarship to study engineering design at Bath University. Her practice intersects academic and manufacturing sectors both within her role as Reader and as co-director of MMT Textiles Limited and inventor of INOTEK ^TM (an award winning biomimetic textile platform that draws on ambient moisture to trigger reversible mechanical changes in the fabric structure, typically for advanced moisture and insulation management). Veronika is also a bestselling author in industrial design and consults extensively with private and public organisations in material science, textile technology, functional apparel and fashiontech. 

Richard is a chemist with a passion for textile science; all his research is undertaken in partnership with industry and with a strong sustainability lens. His vision is for a future where alternative materials match the performance of traditional synthetic or unsustainable natural fibres. Richard’s experience includes developing alternative fibres for textiles, from sourcing raw material to processing and finishing. Core skills and competences include:

• Alternative materials development
• Sustainable dyeing and coloration for textiles
• Contract chemistry research

James’s primary research interests lie in the functional properties of soft materials, with particular focus on elastomers, including the design of smart textiles (smart-strain sensing or colour-changing flexible fibres), and the recycling of elastomers. Prior to joining QMUL, James designed suspension components for companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and Mercedes. The majority of his research is undertaken in close collaboration with industry, as demonstrated by industry-funded PhD students and research projects with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Hyundai and Schlumberger Oilfield. James also maintains an interest in innovation with teaching at FE and HE level, especially incorporating industrial placements to improve graduate employability. Core skills and competences include:

• Soft matter engineering
• Smart materials
• Industrial research degree design

Sue specialises in research on small business policy and practice. Key areas have included ethnic minority, migrant and refugee enterprise, the fast food sector, and creative industries.  Her experience includes over 20 years of evaluating a range of programmes and projects for the European Commission, central and local UK government, Research Councils, academic institutions, the private and not for profit sector. She is competent in the use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and believes in working with organisations to identify what has worked well and why, and to identify the lessons learnt that can help inform future practice. Her studies have frequently incorporated the development of policy documents and toolkits designed to provide practitioners with practical support in tackling complex issues.

Ashleigh has 15 years of consultancy and business development experience across the corporate and HE sectors, delivering impactful programmes. She is highly skilled in successfully brokering long-term relationships between commercial and educational organisations in developing novel technologies for competitive advantage, with a focus in R&D in environmental sustainability. Ashleigh has extensive experience in delivering long-term business strategies and was previously director of a charity in the arts sector. Before working at UAL, she delivered multidisciplinary programmes in leading environmental consultancies and high profile HEIs across the UK, Latin America and Asia. She has a degree in Sociology, Economics and International Development and is also an alumna of Chelsea College of Arts, qualified in Interior Design. Core competencies include:

• Multidisciplinary engagement across HE, Business and Charity sectors
• Environmental sustainability and development of novel technologies
• Business strategy and delivery

Salah is the Institute Coordinator for UAL Fashion, Textile and Technology Institute (FTTI). He provides an efficient interface between Central Services (Finance, Legal, HR, and Recruitment) and programme-level management of the New Landscapes Programme, including the management of senior stakeholders. Salah is also responsible for the project management of research activities for the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology, with a keen interest in strategic partnerships, Innovation-based accelerator programmes, creative education and the experience economy. Before joining UAL, Salah worked at the Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (CARR) and Care Policy and Evidence Centre (CPEC), both at the LSE, coordinating research projects and collaborations between academia and policymakers, including management of events and finance support. Salah is a qualified PRINCE2 Agile Project Manager and a specialist in printed and woven textiles specialist and a Central Saint Martins (UAL) graduate. Core skills and competencies include:

• Project Management, including Operations
• Creative R&D Programme Management
• Printed and Woven Textiles
• Digital Production, PR & Media Management

Liv has over six years of experience in the fashion and textiles industry, collaborating with global supply chain partners and advising brands on materials forecasting and product design. She joined UAL from a leading trend forecasting company, WGSN, where she was responsible for content creation, sourcing strategies and trend analysis across innovative fibre, yarn, textile and knitwear development. Liv is experienced in helping companies develop and implement creative solutions to the challenges facing their business and the wider industry. Passionate about knowledge and skill sharing, Liv has worked on education initiatives in commercial and charity settings. An Alumni of Chelsea College of Arts, Liv has a degree in Textile Design, specialising in constructed textiles for fashion and interiors. Core skills and competencies include:

• Trend analysis within the fashion and textiles industry
• Translating complex concepts into clear written or spoken messages
• Collaboration and communication