Fall 2023 Industrial Advisory Board Recap
The Nonwovens Institute’s (NWI’s) Fall 2023 Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meeting brought industry members together with faculty and Ph.D. students to consider the fundamental nonwovens research projects currently working through the NWI program.
The event, which was presented Nov. 7-9 from the Centennial Campus of NC State University, kicked off with a meeting of NWI’s Executive Committee, followed by 18 research presentations over two days by Ph.D. candidates who are exploring areas of significant interest to the industry. The projects, funded by NWI member companies and industry partners, revolve around industry-identified research thrust areas, including Materials and Materials Characterization; Polymer Processing and Extrusion; Engineered Structures; Micro and Macro Modeling; and Sustainability.
The IAB is a semi-annual meeting where NWI’s member companies gather to review the graduate student research projects currently in the Institute’s portfolio. The IAB also provides a forum where students, faculty and industry researchers can interact around emerging challenges and opportunities facing the nonwovens industry.
The Industrial Advisory Board is a really unique opportunity for industry to interact with future leaders in nonwovens and gain insight on their research as they work through some of the pressing challenges of the day.
“The Industrial Advisory Board is a really unique opportunity for industry to interact with future leaders in nonwovens and gain insight on their research as they work through some of the pressing challenges of the day,” said Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., professor and executive director of The Nonwovens Institute. “This dynamic exchange cannot be found anywhere else in our industry, and as much as the students benefit from the feedback of our membership and supporting faculty, our member companies benefit from the environment the IAB creates in fostering fundamental understanding and the exchange of ideas.”
Additional activities during the IAB included:
- Student poster sessions;
- Several networking receptions;
- The issuing of awards for outstanding presentations from the May 2023 IAB: Pallav Jani, Technical Merit; Anicah Smith O’Brien, Best Presentation; and Anastasia Timofeeva, Best Overall
- Member presentations from Berry Global, Inc., NatureWorks and PFNonwovens.
- A tour of NWI’s world-class lab- and pilot-scale nonwoven production and testing facilities;
- A training on the hydroentangling bonding process for nonwovens led by Dr. Pourdeyhimi; and
- A preview of the “NWI Strategic Plan 2023-30” for stakeholder input in preparation for its publication in early 2024.
Special thanks to Raoul Farer, Ph.D., director of technology at Freudenberg Performance Materials and Executive Committee Chair, for leading the IAB meeting. And congratulations to the student researchers who participated in this event and worked so hard to prepare their presentations. Well done!
Save the date! NWI’s next IAB meeting will be May 14-16, 2024.
Fall 2023 IAB Photo Gallery
Nishant Bhatta, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, discusses his poster on flow-less coalescence filtration during the IAB poster sessions. 
Sreenivasan Narayanan (left), a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, consults with industry and faculty advisors during the IAB poster sessions. 
Dominic Garcia, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute on research project related to polyester thermal bonding and the effect of additives, during the poster session at the IAB. 
Pallav Jani, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents his research on the interaction between slip additives and hydrophilic finishes in nonwovens during the IAB. 
Darshana Malusare, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute on a project related to adsorbent particulate deposition in coform spunbond processes, fields questions about her research during a Q&A session at the IAB. 
Sophie Nunno-Gorbachev, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, shows material samples and converses with attendees following her presentation about direct-to-textile 3d printing at the IAB. 
Lucille Verster, a Ph.D. research working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents research findings related to degradation modalities of synthetics and bio-based fiber nonwoven during the IAB. 
Christine Lee, a Ph.D. researcher with The Nonwovens Institute on a project related to PLA nonwovens, presents research findings during the IAB. 
Robert Green, vice president of Performance Polymers at NatureWorks LLC, reviews the company’s capability during the member presentations at the IAB. 
Young Jae Kim, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents research findings related to the influence of molecular ordering on wetting resistance of nonwovens during the IAB. 
Shyam Prasad Vasudeva Atri, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute on a project related to particle removal via electrically charged multilayer nonwovens, presents during the IAB. 
Attendees tour NWI’s world-class nonwoven production and testing labs during the Fall 2023 IAB. 
Students and attendees view nonwoven material samples during a tour of NWI’s world-class lab- and pilot-scale production facilities during the IAB. 
Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, executive director of The Nonwovens Institute, presents a training course on the hydroentangling bonding process during the IAB. 
SK Mashfiqur Rahman presents research findings related to simulation and characterization of nanofibrous materials during the IAB. 
Anicah Smith-O’Brien, Anastasia Timofeeva and Pallav Jani were recognized with awards for their research presentations at the May 2023 IAB. 
Sreenivasan Narayanan, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents research findings related to smart nonwovens via wet film-assisted inkjet printing of temperature responsive liquid crystals. 
Jose Fernandez, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents research findings related to the biodegradability of polymers, blends and additives for nowovens during the IAB. 
Büşra Özdemir, a Ph.D. researcher working with The Nonwovens Institute, presents research related to the charging behavior of nonwovens at the IAB.
For more information about NWI member benefits, please visit https://bit.ly/3sWraz8
For more information about student opportunities with NWI, please visit https://bit.ly/46KPORY
For more information about faculty opportunities with NWI, please visit https://bit.ly/467lNuH
Based at the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) is a consortium of stakeholders spanning the breadth of the nonwovens value chain. Operating on an “Open Innovation” platform and covering the full Technology Readiness Level (TRL) range, NWI engages industry, government and academia to enable next-generation nonwoven solutions to mission-critical challenges.
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