Profession textile, leather and footwear researcher

Textile, leather and footwear researchers combine knowledge of material sciences, chemistry, physics, process technologies, management, and engineering to contribute to future innovations within the fields of textile, wearing apparel, leather, and footwear. They collaborate in multidisciplinary projects in order to combine findings from a diverse array of science fields for product development.

Personality Type

• Investigative / Realistic
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Textile materials

  Have a good understanding of the properties of different textile materials.

• Challenging issues in the textile industry

  The efficiency aims and environmental issues posed by challenges in the textile industry.

• Research and development in textiles

  Development of new concepts through the use of scientific and other methods of applied research.

• Physics

  The natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.

• Health and safety in the textile industry

  The requirements, rules and applications of health and safety measures in the textile industry.

• Chemistry

  The composition, structure, and properties of substances and the processes and transformations that they undergo; the uses of different chemicals and their interactions, production techniques, risk factors, and disposal methods.

Skills

• Evaluate textile characteristics

  Evaluate textiles and their properties in order to manufacture products in conformity with specifications.

• Reduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturing

  Assess the environmental impact of footwear manufacture and minimise environmental risks. Reduce environmentally harmful work practices in different stages of the footwear manufacturing.

• Analyse experimental laboratory data

  Analyse experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings

• Monitor textile manufacturing developments

  Keep up to date with recent developments in textile manufacturing and processing techniques and technologies.

• Maintain work standards

  Maintaining standards of work in order to improve and acquire new skills and work methods.

• Measure yarn count

  Be able to measure yarn length and mass to assess fineness of roving, sliver and yarn in different measuring systems.Also able to convert into the various numbering system such as tex, Nm, Ne, denier, etc.

• Test physical properties of textiles

  Evaluating the physical properties of textiles by using testing methods, normally in accordance with a standard; it includes fibre identification and trouble shooting.

• Seek innovation in current practices

  Search for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

• Use textile finishing machine technologies

  Use textile finishing machine technologies that enable the coating or laminating of fabrics.

• Perform chemical experiments

  Perform chemical experiments with the aim of testing various products and substances in order to draw conclusions in terms of product viability and replicability.

• Manage scale-up experiments for manufacturing of products

  Manage scale-up processes and experimentation in the development of new products or the improvement of existing ones and subsequent transfer to main plant.

• Distinguish accessories

  Distinguish accessories in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate accessories based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.

• Distinguish fabrics

  Distinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.

• Conduct research on trends in design

  Conduct research on present and future evolutions and trends in design, and associated target market features.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB