This site is dedicated to new product introduction of recycled carbon fiber reinforced composite parts. Through patented processes, we are able to recycle carbon fiber to create stronger and more durable parts for construction, industrial, and consumer applications. This role includes collaborating to solve process problems while maintaining vision for high throughput manufacturing, large scale extrusion, repeatable layups of structural components, vacuum assisted resin transfer molding. A deep understanding of polymers, resins, and carbon fiber - and the relationship between them - is necessary for success in this role.

This site is a leader in functional and smart textiles with an emphasis on materials, fabrication, design and engineering and the transitioning of emergent textile technologies into the Flex global supply chain. This role included, but was not limited to, design and engineering of functional and smart textiles include the integration of advanced fibers (drawn fibers, electronic fibers, energy harvesting etc.), weaving, 3-D knitting, 3-D modeling of textiles, fusing (lamination, RF welding etc.), textile-like sensor development and flexible electronics into a soft architecture system.Aside from researching and developing products on a continual basis, this role included planning for future projects and growing strategic team capabilities. Being able to accurately predict customer needs was essential for this role. Achieving this was done through frequent conversations with customers on expectations with timeline, quality, and cost. As I grew in this role, I have took on other responsibilities outside of textiles including, test engineering, software engineering, and electrical engineering. Being able to use these skills at any given time aided in being able to complete projects effectively and thoroughly.

Over the course of two semesters, each student team works through the entire design process. The first semester, teams work with their sponsor to identify the scope of their project, gather background information, assess competing products or processes, and create a design of experiments and tests that provide technical justification for any prototyping or design decisions. Each team generates a number of initial solutions to their project and uses their technical expertise to prototype, test and narrow down their ideas. At the start of the second semester, teams enter an iterative cycle of fabricating, testing, and refining prototypes using resources at the Wilson College of Textiles and their respective sponsor companies. By the end of the academic year, each team will have completed a thorough analysis of their final prototype to present to their instructors and industry sponsors.

In pursuit of a Master of Science degree in Textile Engineering, I was funded by Hanesbrands and Champion to create a fully integrated and washable e-textile garment. Using a rigorous research and development approach, I was able to create and validate a garment that had integrated power, battery storage, interconnects, circuit boards, and active components - all while maintaining a high degree of launderability. Throughout this project, I gained an understanding of supply chain management, project management, time management, and research and development. Supply chain management was important for the completion of this project as the majority of the components used were either custom made to my specifications or had long lead times. Project management was important for the completion of this project as well. I was able to effectively delegate tasks to maintain a tight schedule while keeping Hanesbrands continually updated on project progress. Being able to communicate effectively to both Hanesbrands and my research lab was essential for creating the best product possible for all stakeholders. Time management played a crucial role throughout the entirety of this project. Learning how to manage project deadlines while maintaining enough time to complete my studies effectively was integral to completing this project. Again, delegating certain tasks and communicating tasks that needed to be complete was critical.As a research and development project, I was able to gain a profound understanding of what it takes to research a topic fundamentally and outline a path to push that topic to the next level. I learned how to dissect a problem at it's core, evaluate areas for improvement, and implement solutions effectively.

In this role, I worked on a project with a team of PhD students to conduct research with nanoparticle cotton. The goal of this project was to find a creative way to integrate nanofibrillated cotton into a melt-extruded polyethylene compound. Being able to use nanofibrillated cotton as a reinforcing agent in polyethylene compounds would reduce the environmental impact of this material due to cotton being a renewable resource. As a Research Engineer on this team, I ran created test vehicles to analyze the physical properties of this compound material. This included supercooling and sieving nanofibrillated cotton, melting the compound together at different mix ratios, testing the vehicles, and documenting the results for further analysis.