In a recent exclusive interview with ScienceNet.cn, Prof. FAN Jintu, Director of Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, reflected on his research journey, examined the key scientific challenges facing the textiles field, and offered valuable advice for young academics navigating their research careers. He also shared his vision for the journal Textiles.
Prof. Fan identified three primary hurdles facing today’s textiles industry:
- Sustainability bottlenecks: Overcoming technical barriers in recycling blended fibers, reducing microplastic pollution, and establishing low-energy, high-efficiency closed-loop recycling systems.
- Health-oriented functional textiles: Developing functional textiles for physiological monitoring, therapeutic applications and specialised protection without compromising product safety or wearer comfort.
- Intelligent industrial transformation: Utilising 5G and industrial IoT to connect data across the entire supply chain, and embedding core textile physics into AI models to drive a shift from production optimisation to product R&D.
Addressing the development of young scholars, Prof. Fan stressed the importance of tackling fundamental scientific problems within the field. He advised against chasing fleeting research trends, encouraging long-term dedication to a core field alongside measured innovation. He noted that young scholars should maintain a keen awareness of emerging developments while striking a balance between sustained commitment to their core research areas and appropriate innovation. Such an approach, he explained, is essential for building a solid academic foundation and achieving impactful research breakthroughs.
On assuming the role of Editor-in-Chief at Textiles, Prof. Fan said the decision stemmed from a sense of duty to the academic community, with the aim of building a high-calibre platform for scholarly exchange and helping to retain top-quality submissions. While highlighting that Open Access breaks down barriers to knowledge dissemination and significantly enhances the international visibility of research outcomes, he underscored the necessity of upholding rigorous peer-review standards and strict adherence to academic integrity. Moving forward, Textiles will focus on frontier research and interdisciplinary innovation and recruit talented young researchers to its editorial team to drive sustained growth.
Online coverage:
Sciencenet.cn - https://polyu.me/3SkWcxr
| Research Units | Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion |
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