After completing my first degree, BSc (Hons) Textile Chemistry at the University of Leeds, I began my industrial career as a textile technologist. Over 18 years, I worked with a diverse range of global companies such as Ford and Volkswagen (developing car airbag fabrics), Disney and Warner Bros (branded childrenswear nightwear), Umbro (sports and casualwear) and Marks and Spencer (ladies tailoring and denim). I worked internationally in East Asia and Europe, relocating to North Africa as part of a management team to run a large garment manufacturing unit and industrial laundry.

On returning to the UK, I began to share my extensive global textile knowledge and was appointed Senior Lecturer in Textile Technology at MMU in 2011,  joining the University of Manchester in 2022 to continue to establish my role as academic practitioner and researcher. My interest in pedagogical aproaches has been fuelled by my experience in developing and delivering a variety of units across under and post graduate levels. Gaining a deeper understanding of academic curriculum development and quality standards has enabled me to lead the writing, review and approval of new undergraduate programmes, and support programme reviews at postgraduate level, contributing to institution wide panel evaluation and validation events.

My academic practice has been supported by the awards of PGCAP and FHEA in 2013, and SFHEA in 2021.

I am a strong believer in the links between academic practice, industry and subject specific research. I have worked to maintain my industrial links by working alongside business development teams and delivering short courses for industry professionals. This has allowed me to be involved with current practice in the sector - and bring this to the classroom to inform my teaching and impact the learning of my students.

My research interests span textile technologies from wearable electronics to microbiology. My current PhD and research studies focus on the development of sustainable materials for the textile and apparel industry. Additionally I explore the use of plant and microbial sources in the colouration and finishing of textile products, and the impact of these on the environment. I am also interested in the publics perception and adoption of such materials and to this end, have hosted several public engagement events, the findings of which have informed both experimental design in textile development and curriculum design in HE. I am also the lead academic for the industry wide WRAP initiative, Textiles 2030, exploring and implementing the necessary changes required by the industry to combat its impact on climate change.

As I enter the final stages of my cross-faculty PhD, my vision is to create stronger links across higher education and global textile industry, creating a research driven sector leading facility in sustainable textile technology as part of the wider University of Manchester fashion innovation resource.