Rate My Professor Danmei Sun

Professor Danmei Sun is a Professor in the School of Textiles and Design at Heriot-Watt University. Possessing nearly 30 years of combined experience in the textile industry and academia, she earned her BSc degree in Textile Engineering from Qingdao University. Following this, she spent 12 years working as a Textile Engineer in a large-scale textile company. She subsequently pursued and completed her PhD at Heriot-Watt University, where her research centered on sustainable techniques and processes for textile dyeing and finishing, particularly investigating how plasma treatment affects various textile properties and processes. After her doctorate, Professor Sun served as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the School of Materials, University of Manchester, on a three-year UK Ministry of Defence-funded project. This role involved developing innovative 2D and 3D fabric structures to enhance impact performance and employing Finite Element Modelling to study impact mechanisms.

Since joining Heriot-Watt University as an academic in 2010, Professor Sun has directed extensive research into smart and functional textile materials. Her projects include thermally regulated garments, thermal analysis of textiles using Finite Element techniques, shock-absorbing polymers, novel 3D structures for anti-impact applications, wireless charging for healthcare uses, active thermal clothing systems, and wearable electronics. More recently, her team has advanced bio-based dyes and eco-friendly methods to produce new feedstocks from waste materials. This research has been funded by organizations such as UK Dstl/MoD, Innovate UK, EPSRC, NERC, AHRC, IBioIC, Oil & Gas UK, Scottish Funding Council, and industry partners including Harris Tweed, Iron Ocean Ltd., and Schfiled Dyers & Finishers. Key publications encompass 'Phase change materials, their synthesis and application in textiles—a review' (2019, The Journal of the Textile Institute), 'Effect of low temperature plasma treatment on the scouring and dyeing of natural fabrics' (2004, Textile Research Journal), 'Fabric surface properties affected by low temperature plasma treatment' (2006, Journal of Materials Processing Technology), and 'Investigating ballistic impact on fabric targets with gripping yarns' (2013, Fibers and Polymers). Professor Sun serves as Associate Editor for AUTEX Research Journal, Editor for the Journal of Textile Science & Fashion Technology, and on editorial boards for Journal of Industrial Textiles and others. She is a member of the EPSRC College and the Fiber Society and has acted as an external examiner for PhD candidates at UK and international universities.