ITC is pleased to welcome the following new Research Assistant Professors to the academic team.
Fashion & Textile Technology – Chemistry
Dr Qiyao Huang earned both her BA and PhD degrees in Textile Technology from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her interest centres on developing flexible and wearable electronics based on textile materials by combining conventional textile techniques with advanced materials and nanotechnology. Her research topics include metallic textiles and textile-based electrochemical energy storage and sensing devices.Fashion & Textile Technology – Textiles
Dr Ying Ji obtained her PhD degree in fiber science from Cornell University in the US. She received her BSc and MSc in polymer science and engineering from Zhejiang University in China. Prior to joining the Institute of Textiles and Clothing, she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology at the University of California in Los Angeles, US.
Her research focus includes developing biodegradable polymeric materials and studying the biodegradation of post-consumer plastic products. Her research interests also involve functional materials for drug delivery and biomedical applications.
Fashion & Textile Design
Dr Tsai-chun Huang was Visiting Lecturer at several different design schools prior to joining ITC, including the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), PARSONS, and New York University (NYU), all of which are based in New York, as well as the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Instituto Marangoni, both of which are in London, to demonstrate an innovative pleating method and provide workshops. Recently, he worked in European art festivals, such as the Hull UK City of Culture 2017, and the Prague Quadrennial 2019.Dr Huang’s research focuses on the history of pleats, innovations in pleating technology, and the relationship between materials and the body. Designing costumes for theatre performances which demands a wide range of movement and different levels of durability has honed his observations around daily wear. He has discovered that the expansion and contraction of pleats offer potential new ways of wearing.
Cutting-edge technology is also part of Dr Huang’s focus as smart textiles greatly alter the look and function of garments. However, at the same time, he would like to return to the fundamental principles of body based design in fashion and textile research, without blindly chasing technology. Considering people’s life style and habits, how do smart textiles interact with the human body? Why do we need these smart textiles? Have these smart textiles simply become a trend? These critical questions have helped him to reflect on his research work.
Dr Haze Ng is an active practitioner in both the design and academic circles, participating in international fashion and textile conferences, museum exhibitions and shows.
Dr Ng’s research interests cover narrative and interactive fashion and textile designs; contemporary design philosophies, methodologies and practices; and cross-disciplinary design processes and models. With a strong interest in sociocultural and artistic design creations, Dr Ng also investigates traditional attire and textile craftsmanship, including authentic men’s cheongsam tailoring and connotative surface embellishments.
Dr Magnum Lam earned his PhD in Fashion Business at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He also holds an MA in Anthropology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before joining ITC, Dr Lam was Visiting Scholar at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan (UBCO) and Visiting Fellow at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). His research interests lie in corporate philanthropy, social innovation, fashion consumer behaviors, and symbolic meanings of consumption.
