Director, Materials Science Research Centre, Royal College of Art
Sharon was awarded her PhD in Textile Design by the RCA in 1997. After graduating she joined Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design as a Lecturer/Research Fellow. In 2010 she joined Brunel University London as Head of Design in the School of Engineering & Design; in 2014 she joined the RCA as Head of Programme – Design Products, followed by a Research Professor position in 2017; in 2018 she became Chair of the Burberry Material Futures Research Group; and in 2020 took up the role of Director of the Materials Science Research Centre.
Sharon has a 16-year track record of leading UK research council-funded interdisciplinary projects totalling £10m. Her research is focused on interdisciplinary human-centered design methods to develop new "Product Cultures" that de-couple the use of materials resources from human wellbeing and economic development.
Sharon has consulted for Courtaulds Textiles, Marks & Spencer, and Unilever.
Intelligent Design System for Innovation
AiLoupe is a mobile app which utilises neural network-based image recognition to identify, characterise and catalogue textile materials.