Introducing the Future Textiles Team

You might be wondering, who is working behind the scenes or answering your emails? We are putting some faces to the names.

If you want to know even more about their research or what else they are doing at the CFPR, then please do check-out the staff pages on the CFPR website.

Dr Nazmul Karim is an Associate Professor for New Materials: Towards Sustainable Technologies at the Centre for Print Research, UWE Bristol. He is currently leading a research team to investigate into graphene and other 2D materials-based technologies for developing next generation wearable electronic textiles, environmentally sustainable functional clothing, and fibre-reinforced composites. Prior to that, Dr Karim led graphene-based high-performance functional clothing and wearable e-textiles research activities at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) of University of Manchester (UK) with Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Kostya S Novoselov. He has about 14 years of industry and academic experiences in graphene and textile-related technologies, and a passion for getting research out of the lab and into real world applications.

Shaila Afroj is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Print Research (CFPR), UWE Bristol (UK), where she investigates graphene and other 2D materials-based technologies aimed at developing next-generation wearable electronics textiles and sustainable functional clothing. Prior to that, she worked as a Research Associate at National Graphene Institute (NGI), the University of Manchester after completing her Ph.D. from the same university. She has ~14 years of industry (including multi-nationals companies like C&A and Intertek) and academic experiences related to smart textiles, advanced materials, wearable electronics, and fashion clothing.

Karen is the Conference and Event Manager at the Centre for Print Research and therefore has a key role in organising the Future Textiles Conference. Karen manages all aspects of the planning and logistics of the conference; including venue management, speaker liaison, marketing, delegate registration, sponsorship and reviewing your applications to participate. In the past Karen has project managed a wide range of events including team building, product launches, showcases, exhibitions and conferences attracting over 800 international delegates.

Andy Johnson has worked in the professional imaging sector for over thirty five years, specialising in photography, video and print. His experience includes working in account development, account management, product management, business development, marketing and service delivery, Advising companies on bespoke solutions for digital image capture, print, colour management and lighting, into the cultural heritage, education and commercial sectors throughout the UK and Europe.

As CFPR’s Senior business development manager, he is always looking at opportunities for the CFPR in collaboration, KTP’s or prototype development with companies ranging from small SMEs to multinational organisations as well as academia, throughout the UK. Andy will be overseeing the live steaming for our virtual audience, during the conference, as well as working with our sponsors and trade exhibitors.

Amber is the Conference and Events Facilitator at the Centre for Print Research and works alongside Karen having a prevalent role in the Future Textiles conference preparations. Amber maintains the conference inbox, communicating with all delegates and assisting in any queries or administrative tasks needed. Updating the conference website is another of Amber’s key responsibilities along with collating all speaker’s information and work to be shown on the publication and website.

Rebecca Edery is a Graphic Design Facilitator at the Centre for Print Research, UWE. She is a recent graduate of Fine Art and facilitates Textworks, a UWE funded art-writing research project. At CFPR, she is responsible for designing digital content and assisting with the Future Textiles conference.

Natalie is a recent UWE Illustration graduate, working as the Digital Content Facilitator for the CFPR. She is responsible for producing digital content for the Future Textiles website and social media. Natalie also produces scientific illustrations for the CFPR Graphene Lab.

Susanne Klein is an EPSRC manufacturing fellow and an associate professor at the Centre for Print Research. She studied physics in Germany and came as a Royal Society Research fellow to the University of Bristol where she worked on 19th century optics. In 1998 she joined Hewlett Packard Labs and specialised in liquid crystal display technology, new materials for 3D printing and optical cryptography. Her research interests now are 19th century photomechanical processes and their 21st century incarnations, especially Woodburytype, photolithography and Lippmann photography.

Md Rashedul Islam is a PhD candidate under supervision of Dr Nazmul Karim at the Graphene Application Laboratory at the Centre for Print Research, UWE, Bristol, UK. He has been investigating on Graphene and other 2D materials based energy storage textiles. The aim is to develop and power next generation, multifunctional wearable electronic textiles for personalized healthcare. Prior to that he earned his BSc and MSc in Textile Engineering, from Bangladesh University of Textiles, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has about 9 years of industry and academic experience related to textile chemical processing, advanced materials and smart electronic textiles.

Marzia Dulal is a Commonwealth Scholar and a PhD candidate at the Centre for Print Research, UWE, Bristol, UK, working under the supervision of Dr Nazmul Karim. She is developing sustainable and smart personal protective clothing made of graphene-enhanced recycled plastics that will protect users from a wide range of pathogens and have broad industrial applications such as medical textiles, protective, and active-wear. She holds an MSc and BSc in Textile Engineering from Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX), Bangladesh, and previously received the prestigious Prime Minister Gold Medal for academic excellence. She has a background in both academia and industry.

Mohammad Hamidul Islam is a research fellow at the Centre for Print Research, UWE Bristol. He is currently investigating graphene-based technologies aimed at developing scalable and cost-effective natural and synthetic fibre smart composites and wearable smart textiles. Prior to that, he developed a novel process for dry fibre architectures for manufacturing textile preform for ductile composites during his PhD at the University of Manchester. He has about twenty years of experience in Universities and companies related to polymer science, textile technology, 2D materials and composites.

Eshiva is a Green Skills Intern at the Centre for Print Research (CFPR), assisting with the organisation and promotion of the conference by researching, identifying, and building relationships with speakers and welcomed guests. Embodying the core values of the Black South-West Network (BSWN) charity, she creates content for the Future Textiles marketing and social media channels focused on co-production and collaborative development.