Saniyat Islam

Dr Saniyat Islam is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise and Sustainable Innovation at the School of Fashion and Textiles. His key research expertise is in Textile Materials and Polymer Science.
The research record of accomplishment ranges from delivering and conducting interdisciplinary projects in automotive textiles, medical textiles, Safety garments and thermal and comfort properties of textile and fibrous materials. His current research focuses on Circular Business models, Blockchain innovation for Fashion Enterprises, sustainable textile materials, and supply-chain traceability of fashion systems.

Saniyat’s contributions to the discipline of fashion enterprise occur through the interlacing of the Engagement, Education and Research domains. He firmly believes that imaginative and rigorous teaching is at the core of transformative student experience. MC213: Master of Fashion (Entrepreneurship), more colloquially referred to as ‘MoFE’, was the only Master course in the world to offer graduate students a place to undertake research practices with a high degree of competency and learn enterprising capabilities to create and build their own fashion ventures with confidence. Saniyat uses the best teaching knowledge and digital technology, contemporary theory and practice, and in addition, he utilises his scholarly engagement with professional bodies and industry, to provide transformative experiences for his students.

His teaching practices are shaped by insights and evidence from his students, industry and peer feedback and he takes pride in his teaching practices which are grounded in creative thinking, connected to the textile industry, fashion enterprise and the broader community. He encourages students to be ambitious and passionate, skilled at putting theory into practice with real-life scenarios from the industry. His distinctive pedagogical approach of connected pathways to the fashion and textile industry enables them to be effective communicators with cross-cultural skills ready to collaborate anywhere within the fashion industry. Saniyat is proud of his contribution to student-centred teaching practices and agile ways of working. He has been instrumental in making the Master of Fashion Entrepreneurship one of the top ten programs of its kind globally (BoF).

As one of the research leads in the School of Fashion and Textiles, he strives to create an inclusive cultural and social environment that exceeds obligations and equips students for life and work in a diverse global environment. He combines scholarly rigour, belonging excellence and industry practice to support his students as they explore new perspectives and opportunities while applying themselves to the realities of the world as it is today. His students continuously question ethical and sustainable practices within fashion enterprises. They are engaged in finding innovative approaches to resolve issues, making them ready for life and work.

Saniyat’s textile materials and fashion systems expertise enables him to bring industry and enterprise connections to classroom settings. He focuses on building stronger connections between research knowledge, curriculum design, teaching and assessment strategies. He uses RMIT’s global reach and knowledge to enrich the student experience by organising impactful study tours. His partnerships and scholarly investments reflect his global outlook and determination in deepening the impact of RMIT’s expertise and comparative advantage, translating these into research income and outputs. Invested in the cultivation of long-term partnerships with global fashion corporations in the fashion and textile supply chain alliances, he reaches into networks of small and medium enterprises, to global collaborations supporting workforce development through his contribution as an educator and a researcher and shapes the future of fashion industry.

Industry experience:
Dr Saniyat has successfully secured and completed contract research projects based on industry needs and turned my own research into licenced applications with industry partners. Building on his PhD research, in 2015 he applied for post-doctoral funding and was successful in achieving an industry grant, project titled “Application of hemp and hemp-blends as wound bandages utilising biopolymers”, CI, $31,250, (Cat2), 2015, Project Ref: 0200313632. This also led to an IP License Deed, re TCI project Application of hemp and hemp-blends as wound bandages using biopolymers (Ref: 0000016036). As a result of the successful completion of the project, he was invited to present at the first Australian Industrial Hemp Conference, 27 February-2 March 2018 (AgriFutures Australia publication, no. 18/017; AgriFutures Australia project, no. PRJ-010776) which involved more than 250 stakeholders from industry and academia.

In 2015, Saniyat was instrumental in an industry project sponsored by Metro Trains Melbourne, which investigated the compliance of safety vests in the railway industry. This project resulted in a publication titled, 'Degradation of fluorescent high-visibility colours used in safety garments for the Australian railway industry' in Journal of Safety Research, Elsevier. The investigation highlighted a fundamental flaw in the standard adopted by the Railway industry and argued the relevance of the adopted standard. This work has significant implications outside the rail industry for any manufacturer making personnel protective equipment. The research highlights the issues surrounding the longevity and appropriateness of safety colours for the general populous (e.g., rail, road, and building workers; and cyclists). Following this publication, he was invited to be a member of the Standards Committee of CS-004 labelling of Textiles run by the Standards Australia and serving to date.

Awards:
RMIT University Higher Degree by Research Publication Excellence Award (College of Design and Social Context, School of Fashion and Textiles)
Mr Saniyat Islam investigated wound-dressing developed from wool and wool blends using different techniques such as pad-dry-cure, electrospraying and dissolution – regeneration. Bio-active and absorbent wound-dressing materials were engineered utilising biopolymer and nanoparticle additives. Morphological, structural, chemical characteristics of the fabricated dressing materials were determined.
Award date: 2012
Recipients: Saniyat Islam