Prof. Jonathan Y. Chen , Elizabeth Tarpley Regents Fellow; Renewable Fiber and Composite Laboratory; School of Human Ecology, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas delivered SFT Distinguished Research Seminar Series on Fashion Design, Business and Technology titled “Functional Fiber and Composite Materials from Lignocellulosic Bioimass” on 4 May 2026.
Prof. Jonathan Y. Chen has been working in the disciplinary area of textile science and engineering for over 35 years. He has expertise in structure, process, and applications of renewable and polymeric fiber materials; production and evaluation of biobased fiber composites; nonwoven and knitting technologies; and objective evaluation of apparel fabrics. His current research focuses are on functional biomaterials, smart textiles, biobased nonwoven composites for automotive interior manufacture; and carbon-based nanoscale fiber materials for energy storage, water/air filtration, protective garments, bio- and chemical-contaminant cleanup, and noise absorption and insulation. He has published over 120 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, books, and technical conference proceedings relevant to textile materials, biopolymer fibers/films, bioactive nanofiber, biobased composites, and fabric technologies for sensing and energy storage. Prof. Chen's teaching interests cover textile science and engineering, biopolymers and biobased fibers, medical textiles, and smart textiles. Prof. Chen obtained Ph.D. in Textile Engineering in 1995 from The University of Leeds, England. Currently he is a full professor in the School of Human Ecology and the Texas Materials Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Chen is Fellow of The Textile Institute (CText FTI), Senior Member of The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), and Member of The Fiber Society. He is serving on the editorial boards for Journal of Industrial Textiles, Textile Research Journal, and Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy.
| Research Units | PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research | Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion |
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