Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Amir for her new appointment as head of CIRTex! She will be replacing Ayelet Carmon, who left for her Ph.D. studies after heading the center for 6 years.

Dr. Amir joined the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering at Shenkar 8 years ago, after completing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Tel-Aviv University (Cum Laude) and her postdoctoral fellowship in material engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

As a senior faculty member at the Department of Polymer Materials Engineering, Dr. Amir was inspired by Shenkar’s vision of bringing design and engineering under one roof. She launched and ran many research projects, developing smart and innovative textiles in collaboration with Israeli industry and with funding from the Israel Innovation Authority.

Dr. Amir’s cutting-edge work on innovative textiles has produced fruitful collaborations between Shenkar and Israeli textile companies, as well as publications in leading peer-reviewed journals, lectures at international conferences, patents, and theses by Shenkar’s undergraduate and graduate students.

In 2017, armed with the knowledge and experience she had gained at CIRTex, she became the academic director of SNOW (Smart Non-Woven Fabrics). Powered by the Israel Innovation Authority, SNOW is a consortium of nine Israeli textile manufacturers and six academic institutions (including Shenkar). Dr. Amir’s goal in this new role was to develop a new generation of non-woven-fabric-based products. Impressed with the success of Dr. Amir’s projects, the Israel Innovation Authority has approved two additional years of R&D work to apply the fruits of her labors in the industry.

Dr. Elizabeth Amir was chosen to lead CIRTex in order to strengthen and broaden the multidisciplinary ties between textile and fashion design, art, engineering, and science.

CIRtex is a vital part of Shenkar’s Research, Creativity, and Development Authority. The center is committed to supporting innovation and research in textile by improving and developing advanced production techniques and processes—in theory and in practice. Touching upon many spheres—from academia to industry and commerce—the center’s work requires multidisciplinary science, engineering, and design expertise.

Coordinating and accompanying many innovative textile-related research projects at once, CIRTex uses a comprehensive applied methodology that includes building prototypes and models, running simulations, and carrying out tests. Our product- and process-focused studies include both traditional textile production techniques and next-generation textiles for varied applications.