Dr Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem

Principal Investigator, AHRC Digital Fashion Network Project

Dr Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem

Principal Investigator, AHRC Digital Fashion Network Project

Email: asm.sayem@mmu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0161 247 2673

I am a research academic with focus on digital fashion innovation, smart textiles and material sustainability. I am currenlty implementing the AHRC Project "Digital Fashion Network" as the Principal Investigator. I am a member of the UKRI Talent Peer Review College and the Assessment Panel for the UKRI (AHRC, Innovate UK and NERC) Circular Fashion and Textile NetworkPlus programme.

Academic and professional qualifications

I am a fellow of the Textile institute, the Royal Socitey of Arts and the Higher Education Academy, UK. I am an alumnus of Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdiens (DAAD), Germany. 

I obtained my PhD in Fashion Technology from the University of Manchester in 2012. I gained my MSc. in Textile and Clothing Engineering (2004) from the Dresden University of Technology in Germany. My first degree, gained in 1999, was in Textiles from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

My present role at the Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI) includes teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate courses, supervising and mark UG and PG research projects including PhD projects, reviewing Research Ethics Applications, providing research ethics training to staff and students, and contributing towards the activities of the Faculty Research Ethics & Governance Committee. I conduct independent and joint research works and contribute to the RKE (research and knowledge exchange) projects with industry partners.

Previous Employment

Before joining MMU, I worked as an Associate Professor in the textile department and as the Head of the Centre of Scientific Research and Innovation (CSRI) of the Southeast University Bangladesh. I led the textile department of the World University of Bangladesh from October 2012 to February 2014. I also worked as an Assistant Professor in the textile department of the Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology from 2006 to 2012.

I have more than three years of direct work experience in the clothing industry between 2000 and 2006; I undertook product development, merchandising and sourcing roles in Bangladesh for European fashion retailers. As leader of a merchandising team, I was responsible for multi-million-dollar international clothing contracts and also for production and shipping co-ordination, as a part of buying and sourcing on behalf of a Swiss retailer.

Academic service (administration and management)

1) Member, Faculty Research Ethics & Governance Committee (Arts & Humanities) 

2) Member of Faculty Health & Safety Panel (2019 -2023) 

Languages

I speak and write Bengali, English and German.

Undergraduate teaching

A) Fashion Cultures 3 (316Z0049) - BA Fashion Design & Technoloy Level 6

B) Fasion Collaboration (315Z0069) -  BA Fashion Design & Technoloy Level 5

C) Fashion product (315Z0067) - BA Fashion Design & Technoloy Level 5

D) FBM Research Project (316Z0014_2021_9Z3)

E) Final Major Project (316Z9005) 

Postgraduate teaching

A) Fashion Product Innovation (317V0013)

B) Materials Innovation (317V0005)

C) Taught Virtual Fashion Prototyping  at the Unit "Build" of the MA Fashion Innovation programme in 2016/17, 2017/18.

Postgraduate research supervision

> Completed PHD supervision:

- Development of an Optimised Garment Sizing System with Bust Cup Size Integration (Tanya Dove, 2022).

- Biomimetic approach for the production of 3D woven sportswear, Yuyuan Shi, Leeds University (2022),

- Development of standardized sizing system and basic block patterns for Ghanaian children aged 6-11, (Adwoa Tweneboaah Twum, 2023)

> Ongoing PhD supervision:

- Climate change mitigation Impact and workplace safety management of the Sri Lankan Apparel Industry, Chamara Harshana Senadeera (submission due 2024/25)
- Social Sustainability of Apparel Manufacturing, Ishrat Khan (submission due 2025/26)

External examiner roles

PhD Examiner for Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL (since 2020).

Projects and initiatives

RKE Projects:

“Canterbury Rugby – Body Scanning, Data Collection and Analysis”

"Gym Shark - Body Scanning and Fit Manikin"

Exhibitions

Fashion Animation - RISE 2022 - https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/media/Fashion+Animation+-+RISE+2022/1_pgupi8ki

Consultancy and advisory roles

I am internationally involved in contributing towards curriculum development. I provided advisory input in developing curriculum for the unit “3D Virtual Fashion Prototyping” for the Bangladesh University of Textiles. I reviewed a curriculum of BSc. textile and environmental engineering of the same university last year. In 2022, I provided advisory input for developing the course of sustainable textiles at the Bartın University in Turkey.

Community, charity and NGO links

Trustee of the Textile Institute - https://www.textileinstitute.org/

Media appearances or involvement

1) Interviewed by the New York Times in August 2022, World-Class Lessons on Zero-Waste, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/31/style/world-class-lessons-on-zero-waste.html 

2) Spoke about the “I-A-E Framework for Sustainable Fashion & Textile Production” developed by my Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) project team in World Textile Information Network (WTiN) on 25 August 2021. See full article here: https://www.wtin.com/article/2021/august/230821/providing-sustainable-guidelines-for-the-textile-industry/ 

3) Interviewed by Ràdio País, France on International Mother Language Day (21 Feb 2010)

Prizes and awards

Academic Degrees:

  • PhD in Fashion Technology (University of Manchester)
  • MSc in Textile & Clothing Engineering (Dresden University)
  • BSc in Textile Technology (Dhaka University)

Prizes & Awards:

1. Winner - MMU Knowledge Exchange Award 2015-Hollings Faculty -Body Scanning Research for Canterbury Sportswear.

2. Winner - IMB Innovation Award 2009 in"Students & Young Professionals" category, awarded at “IMB – World of Textile Processing“, by Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne, Germany.

3. Recipient - Commonwealth Scholarship 2008-2011, by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the United Kingdom.

4. Recipient - DAAD (German Academic Exchange Programme) Scholarship, 2002 - 2004.

5. Finalist - AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) student’s research paper competition in 1999.

Expert reviewer for external funding bodies

1) Member of UKRI Peer Review College 

2) Member of UKRI (AHRC, Innovate UK and NERC) Circular Fashion & Textile Programme
Assessment Panel

Editiorial Board membership

1) Co-editor, Textile Institute Professional Publication Series (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis)

Membership of professional associations

  • CTexFTI: Chartered member and Fellow of the Textile Institute (TI), UK
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Member of the Institution of Textile Engineers and Technologists (ITET), Bangladesh.
  • Previously member of the American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC), USA.

Research

Research Interests

My research covers the areas of digital prototyping, sustainable materials and process innovation, and smart textiles. I am leading the following research projects:

1) Digital Fashion Innovation (https://fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk/research/digital-fashion-innovation/)

2) Digital & Smart Apparel (https://fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk/research/digital-smart-apparel/)

3) Sustainable Materials Innovation (https://fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk/research/materials-innovation/)

Recent publications from these projects include the topics - Zero-Waste Pattern Cutting (ZWPC), Objective Fit Analysis of virtual clothing, 3D to 2D Surface Flattening, Smart Electro-Clothing Systems (SeCSs), 3D Printing, and Fibre-reinforced Sustainable Composites. I have so far published with the following journals – the Journal of Cleaner Production, the Textile Progress, the Journal of The Textile Institute, the Journal of Composite Materials, the Sensors, the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education and the International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, the Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, which are regarded as the top-ranked journals in their respective areas. Two of my peer-reviewed outputs are submitted to REF 2021.

The “Canterbury Rugby – Body Scanning, Data Collection and Analysis” project, in which I played a key role, won the MMU Knowledge Exchange Awards in 2015.

I guest-edited a special issue on the “Digital fashion Innovation” of the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education (vol 15, no. 2). I am the sole editor of the book “Digital Fashion Innovations: Advances in Design, Simulation, and Industry” (Taylor and Francis Catalogue # 501061, ISBN: 9781032207278). Building upon my research, I have been organising the “Digital fashion Innovation” symposium since 2020. I chair the annual event “Sustainable Textile and Fashion Congress (STFC)” organised by iCongress (https://www.ilettersicongress.co.uk/stfc).

In the past, I worked with the Plasma Technology Research Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland to investigate the plasma-induced graft polymerisation of multi-functional chemicals on cotton. At TU-Dresden in Germany, I investigated into both virtual clothing technology and eco-friendly water-free dyeing of textiles. My research on clothing CAD won an innovation award in the “IMB – World of Textile Processing 2009”, organised by Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne, Germany. My undergraduate research on the preparatory processes of industrial textile colouration reached the final three of the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists) student paper competition in 1999.

Academic collaborations

1) Bangladesh University of Textiles and BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) on 'fashion sustainability and UN SDGs'

2) ManMet Engineering department on 'wearable technology and fibre-reinforced composites'

2) Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) on sustainable composite materials

3) University of Leeds on '3D anthropometry and CAD' 

4) North Carolina State University (NCSU) Wilson College of Textiles on 'wearable technology and digital fashion'  

Invited Papers

1) Invited talk on "Fashion and Textiles vis-à-vis UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" at the 4th International conference of sustainable textile (online) on 19th May 2021, organised by the Textile Engineering Department of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, Faisalabad Campus (https://conferences.uet.edu.pk/textile/icst/2021/)

2) Keynote talk "Digital Design Technology and Sustainable Fashion" at the International Conference on Sustainable Development in Technology for 4th Industrial Revolution http://www.icsdtir.pciuconference.net/ took place on 12 March 2021.

3) Invited talk "Fashion and Textile Research: A Multidisciplinary Area", MMU Technical Service Conference, 14 June 2019, Business School, MMU 

Invited Discussions

1) Guest lecture on "Virtual Fashion" for the BA International Fashion Business students of the Nottingham Trent University (NTU) on 2nd November 2021.  

1) Webinar on "Fashion and Textile Research: A Multidisciplinary Area" organised by the textile department of the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) on 12 April 2021 at 2pm BST

Conference organisation

1) Digital Fashion Innovation (DFI) e-Symposium, 2020 (https://fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk/dfi2020/), 2021 (https://fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk/dfi2021/)

2) Chair, Sustainable Textile and Fashion Congress (STFC), 28 - 30 July 2021, https://www.ilettersicongress.co.uk/stfc 

3) Co-chair of the organising committee of the Textile Research Conference TRC) [http://trc.clothinginstitute.org/] organised in Bangladesh and editor of the conference proceedings "TRC Book of Papers".

Expert reviewer for journals and publishers

# Reviewed several research articles upon request from the Editors of

- International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education (Taylor & Francis);

- Journal of Industrial Textiles (Sage Publication);

- Autex Research Journal (AUTEX, EU);

-  Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies (Elsevier);

- Sensors, MDPI.

- Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (ISSN 2414-4088), MDPI

- International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology (Emerald)

- Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) , MDPI

- Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management (Emerald)

- Informatics (ISSN 2227-9709), MDPI

# Acted as an invited reviewer for the following conferences: 

- The annual conference of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institute (IFFTI)

- The Industry 4.0 Academia Summit (Smart Sustainable Manufacturing)

# Review metrics: https://publons.com/researcher/1288199/abu-sadat-muhammad-sayem/metrics/ 

Grants

1) Principal Investigator, AHRC Digital Fashion Network 2023-24 (£43K)

2) Principal Investigator, GCRF QR 2020/21 (£26.4K): Research Capacity Building and Promoting Sustainable Fashion and Textile Practices in Bangladesh (Worktribe ID: 447793), Project website - https://sustainablefashion.mmu.ac.uk/,

3) Strategic partner, Circular Economy in Bangladesh’s Apparel Industry (CREATE), 2022-2027 (Worktribe ID: 933819)

4) Principal Investigator, RKE RAG Funding 2017/18 - Wearable Sensors in Smart Clothing for Health and Performance Monitoring (Worktribe ID: 113394)

5) Faculty grant for hosting Faculty Research Scholarship and Internship 2019, 2021

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Below publication list is incomplete and outdated. See my GoogleScholar Profile at https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=CY6di1gAAAAJ&hl=en or my ResearchGate profile at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abu-Sadat-Muhammad-Sayem to view my complete publication list.

Book Chapters

Shi, Y., Taylor, LW., Cheung, V., Sayem, ASM., 2023. 'Scan2Weave'. In Digital Fashion Innovations, pp. 83-96, CRC Press.

Sayem, ASM., Chakraborty, S., Hoque, SMA., Saha, K., Tasnim Mica, M., Ahsan, M., 2023. 'Defining Digital Fashion and Tracking the Developments in Relevant Technologies'. In Digital Fashion Innovations, pp. 3-14, CRC Press.

Sayem, ASM., 2023. 'Clothing Fit Evaluation'. In Digital Fashion Innovations, pp. 17-38, CRC Press.

Islam, MM., Sayem, ASM., 2023. 'Virtual Fit of Bodices Constructed Following Contemporary Methods'. In Digital Fashion Innovations, pp. 63-81, CRC Press.

Shi, Y., Taylor, LW., Cheung, V., Sayem, ASM., 2023. 'Scan2Weave: Connecting Digital Anthropometry with 3D Weaving Technology'. In Digital Fashion Innovations: Advances in Design, Simulation, and Industry, pp. 83-96.

Sayem, ASM., 2023. 'Clothing Fit Evaluation: From Physical to Virtual'. In Digital Fashion Innovations: Advances in Design, Simulation, and Industry, pp. 17-38.

Muhammad Sayem, AS., 2020. 'Virtual prototyping for fashion 4.0. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Smart Manufacturing (S2M 2019), 9–11 April 2019, Manchester, UK'. In da Silva Bartolo, PJ., Bartolo, H. (eds.) Industry 4.0 – Shaping The Future of The Digital World, 4, CRC Press, London.

Sayem, ASM., 2020. 'Virtual prototyping for fashion 4.0'. In Industry 4.0 – Shaping The Future of The Digital World, pp. 193-196, CRC Press.

Journal Articles

Rayhan, MGS., Khan, MKH., Shoily, MT., Rahman, H., Rahman, MR., Akon, MT., Hoque, M., Khan, MR., Rifat, TR., Tisha, FA., Sumon, IH., Fahim, AW., Uddin, MA., Sayem, ASM., 2022. 'Conductive textiles for signal sensing and technical applications', Signals, 4 (1), pp. 1-39.

Shamsuzzaman, M., Kashem, MA., Muhammad Sayem, AS., Maroof Khan, A., Md Shamsuddin, S., Mazedul Islam, M., 2021. 'Quantifying Environmental Sustainability of Denim Garments Washing Factories Through Effluent Analysis: A Case Study in Bangladesh', Journal of Cleaner Production, 290, pp. 125740-125740.

Tyler, D., Wood, J., Sabir, T., McDonnell, C., Sayem, ASM., Whittaker, N., 2020. 'Wearable electronic textiles', Textile Progress, 51 (4), pp. 299-384.

Muhammad Sayem, AS., Hon Teay, S., Shahariar, H., Luise Fink, P., Albarbar, A., 2020. 'Review on Smart Electro-Clothing Systems (SeCSs)', Sensors, 20 (3).

Sayem, ASM., Kennon, R., Clarke, N., Hayes, SG., 2016. 'The effect of link-length and vertex angle on mesh generation and pattern flattening for virtual clothing', International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 28 (4), pp. 503-515.

Sayem, ASM., Rossbach, V., 2004. 'Supercritical fluid dyeing (SFD): A green technology', Textile Journal, 121 (5), pp. 22-25.

Presentations

Neary, R., Perry, P., Kealy-Morris, E., Scott, K., Price, H., Thornton, A., Muhammad Sayem, A., 2022. ''International Collaborative Project Framework for COIL in Fashion Education’, The Future of International Fashion and Design Education, Istituto Marangoni London, online, 29 Sept 2022. Available from: https://www.researchiml.com/events-the-future-of-international-fashion-design-education.', Online.

Office Location

Room C2.42
Cavendish Building