Are you a researcher with experience in modelling and simulation, looking to develop your career in an academic environment? Would you like to be part of a team working on a project to develop a digital tool that can help digital communication of fabric aesthetic properties?

When you go shopping online, you probably would like to evaluate what a new fabric looks like before it is made. When you watch movies or play games, you probably have seen dynamic movement of simulated garments (on avatars), either as part of visual effects or retail tools. However, communication of fabric qualities such as touch, feel and garment drape around our bodies are far from what we expect. This is even more of a problem when you buy clothes online or remotely, because what you see might be very different from what you pay for. 

You will work as a member of the multidisciplinary Future Fashion Factory team to develop a digital tool that can help communicate fabric tactile and aesthetic properties. With the help of academics across the School of Design, School of Computing and School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and textile/fashion industrial partners, you will develop a new numerical model incorporating specific fabric properties, by combining specialist skills in textiles, fashion design, computation, virtual reality and sensing technologies.

As a Research Fellow in Digital Communication of Fabric Properties, you will be a part of the wider Future Fashion Factory project. The Future Fashion Factory creative R&D partnership is a £5.4 million programme of ambitious research and development funded by the Industrial Strategy Challenge fund via the Creative Industries Cluster Programme that seeks to create the world’s first designer-led, digitally enabled creative design and technical innovation platform for high value, luxury goods. The Future Fashion Factory Programme is situated within the School of Design and is one of the centres of excellence within the newly established Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC), a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research institute addressing global challenges in colour, fashion and textiles through research and innovation, as well as teaching. We are particularly focused on the development of innovative science and technology, materials, methods and processes. Technology-driven sustainable development is a major part of our work, hosted by the School of Design at the University of Leeds, the School is a world leading research centre with a focus in creativity and developing innovative materials and manufacturing solutions with interdisciplinary researchers and industrial partners.

You will have a PhD (or be close to completion) in computer science, mathematics or a related field.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:  

Professor Ningtao Mao (School of Design)

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 3792, email: [email protected]

or 

Dr He Wang (School of Computing)

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 5767, email: [email protected]