New textiles prof collects top honour

Professor of Technical Textiles Parikshit Goswami has been awarded a Silver Medal by the Society of Dyers and Colourists

MODERN textiles is about technological innovation as well as design flair, and a University of Huddersfield professor is dedicated to building a bridge between the two dimensions.

At the University’s School of Art, Design and Architecture, Parikshit Goswami has been appointed Professor in Technical Textiles and is Head of the Department of Fashion and Textiles.  Now, one of his key priorities is to ensure that the scientific expertise of the department is on a par with its aesthetic excellence.

“Every product has a design angle and a technological angle.  But over time I have realised there is sometimes no common language between them.  In my career, I have tried to create this,” said Professor Goswami.

He has a research background in the application of chemistry to textiles.  The development of new textiles for medical applications, such as wound care, and the use of plasma technology to reduce the use of water and chemicals in textile production are among his areas of research.  He has extensive experience in doing fundamental and applied research, and he has extensively worked with industry, example of collaborators include sportswear giants to UK based SMEs.

But Professor Goswami is also steeped in the dyeing and finishing of textiles, and his long involvement in the field has now been recognised by the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC), the world’s leading independent, educational charity dedicated to advancing the science and technology of colour worldwide, founded in 1884 and based in Bradford.

It has awarded Professor Goswami a Silver Medal for his “Dedicated service to the Society in Education”.  He is a long-standing member of the SDC’s Education, Qualifications and Accreditation Board.  The medal will be awarded at a ceremony in York.

Now, he intends to develop the interdisciplinary expertise of his University of Huddersfield department, to boost its teaching and to enable participation in major research projects that depend on technologists and designers working in tandem.