Arun Pal Aneja

Plenary lecture: Towards Circular Economy in TEXTILES: RESYNTEX and the EU

Arun Aneja is a Global Technology Executive and Change Leader known for expertise in commercializing new technology for profitable growth while improving business quality. He has provided strategic business and technical leadership for professionals and technical staff in locations around the world. He has over 35 years of experience in teaching, research and development, process/product engineering, manufacturing and optimization in textiles, polymers, composites, synthetic membranes and chemical industries with expertise in Six Sigma certification for product development and cost reduction. He is inventor of profitable processes and products and credited with over 30 patents and an extensive publication record.

Born in Jalandhar, India, Arun Aneja graduated in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He received his MS and Ph.D. also in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He was the Chief Technology Officer at India’s largest private sector company – Reliance Industries. He spent most of his career with DuPont Company in various functions and also as Engineering Manager at Monsanto Company. He serves as Senior Advisor on Advanced Fibers, Government of India; Expert on emerging technologies in fibers and textiles, European Union; and Senior Advisor/Consultant on new product development on Fibers & Textiles, China Textile Academy, China.

His current research is directed towards (i) In-situ fabrication of nano composite materials, (ii) Circular economy and green technology for fibers & textile sustainability, and (iii) Company resiliency and ambidexterity.

Arun is a recipient of numerous international awards. These include Svaty Memorial Award for Fiber Innovations, Czech Republic, DuPont Corporate Innovator Award, and Kirpatric Chemical Engineering Achievement Award from The American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

 

Juan P Hinestroza

Plenary lecture: Teaching Cotton New Tricks: Molecular Strategies for Creating Smart Fibers via Manipulation of Nanoscale Phenomena

Juan P. Hinestroza, a US Fulbright scholar, is an Associate Professor of Fiber Science and directs The Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory at the College of Human Ecology of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Professor Hinestroza obtained a Ph.D. from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Tulane University and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Industrial de Santander. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, Professor Hinestroza worked as a process control engineer for The Dow Chemical Company.

Professor Hinestroza works on understanding fundamental phenomena at the nanoscale that are of relevance to Fiber and Polymer Science. Hinestroza has received over 6.6 MM USD in research funding (Federal and State agencies as well as Industrial Consortiums) for his pioneering work in exploring new pathways for creating multifunctional fibers via manipulation of nanoscale phenomena.

Professor Hinestroza has been the recipient of a myriad of awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the J.D. Watson Young Investigator Award from NYSTAR and the Educator of the Year Award from the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers. Professor Hinestroza has delivered invited lectures in over 40 countries and has received fellowships from The Chubu Foundation for Science and Technology of Japan, The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development in Brazil and The Swiss National Science Foundation.

Professor Hinestroza’s scientific work has been featured in Nature Nanotechnology, MRS Bulletin, Materials Today, C&E News, National Geographic, ASEE Prism as well as mainstream media outlets such as CNN, Wired, TechReview, The Guardian, Popular Science, ABC News, NYTimes, Reuters, PBS, NPR and BBC

 

Junyan HU

Plenary lecture: Fabric Touch Comfort Tester: A New Approach for Fabric-Skin Touch Comfort Characterization

Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China, Junyan Hu is 50 years old. He was awarded Ph.D. degree in textile in 2006 at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPolyU) and obtained the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Zhejiang University in 1994. Currently, he is a Senior Research Fellow, a Project Deputy Coordinator and a Project Manager, at ITC of the HKPolyU.

His research expertise is mainly in the area of textile sensory bioengineering, including research in the clothing physiology, neurophysiological and neuropsychological mechanisms of human sensory perceptions to textiles and clothing; development of testing methods, instruments and testing standards for material/ garment performance characterization; designing and development of functional textile products and garments for end users.

The Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) is the leading provider of professional fashion and textiles education and the hub for cutting edge research in fashion and textiles in Hong Kong. With the vision and ambition, ITC takes pride in offering a wide range of quality academic programmes which nurture the much sought-after fashion professionals and leaders for our society. Over the years, ITC has groomed celebrated and budding designers, talented technologists, visionary managers and directors, who have made significant contributions to the fashion industry in Hong Kong and beyond. In ITC, we have a long-established research culture and conduct both fundamental and applied research in fashion technology, fashion design, and fashion business that generates great impacts as well as practical value for the society.

 

Yehya Abdelgawad Youssef

Plenary lecture: Added-value Products for Sustainable Textile Development in Egypt

Born in Egypt, Yehya A. Youssef is 49 years old. He graduated in Chemistry from the University of Cairo in 1988 and joined the National Research Center NRC in 1990 as an assistant researcher at the Textile Research Division TRD. He received his PhD in Applied Organic Chemistry from Cairo university in 1997 under a scholarship program between the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt and the German Textile Research Institute (DTNW). Currently, he serves as the Head of Department of Dyeing, Printing and Textile Auxiliaries at TRD – NRC.

NRC is a multi-disciplinary R&D center in Egypt, established in 1956. It is the largest of all institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Scientific Research; devoted to basic and applied research and its research plan is in accordance with the National priority and Strategy of the State Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology.

TRD is one of the fourteen major divisions of NRC, which mainly conduct interdisciplinary research and development projects involving colour chemistry, textile materials, process technology, material technology, textile weaving and clothing design and knitting. Product design and development, prototyping, testing and applied R&D oriented to innovative applications are included in the service of this division that also includes consultancy, training and related industrial activities.

He held the position of R&D Director of the Egyptian British Company for Textile Auxiliaries and Specialty Chemicals EBCA, and a member of the scientific committee of the Egyptian Accreditation Research Organizations EGAC. He strived for more academia-industry interactions and collaborations with various national and international research institutes and industrial companies via technical consultation, accreditation, and manpower training.