Higher Education, Fashion, Textiles, Global Development, Sustainability, Gender, e-commerce

- I teach the history and theory of fashion and textiles to students studying Fashion Design, Fashion Textiles, Fashion Communication and Styling and Jewellery.- Research, consultancy and business activity for Middlesex University- Supervision of student research projects- Academic leadership of first year programme- Knowledge transfer and professional practice- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy- Member of Art & Design Research Institute; Diasporas Research Cluster; CREATE/ Feminisms; Fashion Research Group

SPINNA is a not for profit foundation made up of fashion and trade professionals globally.Our core objectives are to foster the economic empowerment of women in textiles and clothing, to link buyers and sellers and to build productive capacities.We are committed to Igniting inspiration, Empowering entrepreneurship and Furthering fashion.

• Research, develop and deliver lectures and lead discussions on the material culture of the countries visited. Current tours include The Forgotten Silk Road: Travels in Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan: Beyond the Oxus.• Develop appropriate itineraries and manage the holiday experience for tourists travelling in diverse and sometimes very challenging environments.

• Deliver seminars for BA undergraduates in Fashion, Taste and Ethics; The Fashioned Body; Visual Culture; The Body & The Beauty Industries;Introduction to Cultural & Historical Studies; Introduction to the Fashion Business; Media in Contemporary Culture. • Supervise, support and assess students in the delivery of 3000-word academic essays on a variety of topics, supported by a range of Critical Theory, historical and contemporary contexts. • Employ and develop innovative methods of teaching, learning and assessment with colleagues. • Liaise closely with administrative, technical and teaching staff to ensure smooth and quality delivery of the course.

• Key member of staff, deputising for the Dean and representing the Faculty of Design at Senior Management Committee when required. • Active contributor to the college’s strategic objectives, through planning and managing the development and delivery of excellent education programmes in Fashion Communication, Fashion Design, Fashion Management and Fashion Textiles. • Managed seven full-time and 21 part-time staff, and a cohort of over 250 students. Responsible for performance appraisal of full-time staff. • Prepared and maintained the Fashion department budget as one of the most profitable degree programme in the university. • Responsible for student timetabling, staff deployment, annual reporting, quality assurance, budgeting and procurement of capital assets, and health and safety issues for programme. • Promoted to Head of Fashion in August 2007 in recognition of my ability to identify and analyse issues and propose appropriate solutions; my exceptional organisational and communication skills, and my effectiveness at building relationships of trust and respect with colleagues, students, parents and external stakeholders. • Ability to work flexibly within a busy team environment – I have a friendly disposition and a ‘can-do’ attitude, which has enabled me to form and maintain productive collaborative relationships across teams, departments and institutions. I lead, delegate, support and contribute to a team, as appropriate to the situation, role and environment. • Built and maintained a robust network of industry contacts and partner institutions, to develop a portfolio of opportunities and possible collaborations for our students. • Instrumental in seeking external funding opportunities for cross-institutional projects. • Marketing the programme - represented BA (Hons) Fashion programme in marketing presentations to international education agents, visiting diplomatic missions, and a Channel News Asia television broadcast.

• Administered student records for core academic department with over 800 students and assisted the Head of Department in preparation and editing of programme and departmental documentation. • Led discussion groups and lectures with students in the absence of their regular lecturer.

• Developed extensive archive into an accessible research resource for the study of Oriental Carpets. • Organised a conference entitled Carpets and Textiles in the Iranian World 1400 – 1700, attended by an international expert audience (2002). The proceedings of this conference were recently published by Hali Publications Ltd. (2010) http://www.iranheritage.org/CTIW/default.htm. • Project managed the refurbishment of the Islamic Art gallery, working with Graphic Designers, Conservators, Curators and Facilities teams to renew and reinterpret a key public space for the department. • Assisted in the delivery of a study tour to carpet weaving cooperatives in North West Turkey, and also acted as translator for the group during the tour.