Dr Janet Coulter has 30 years of experience working in Fashion and Textiles, and worked internationally in the Fashion Industry in Paris, London and Northern Ireland before entering academia. Janet has lectured at Ulster University since 1999 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Fashion in 2009. She has previously served as Course Director on BDes. Textile and Fashion Design Degree Course. Her research interests are in Fashion Technology and she has presented and published her work internationally. She is currently external examiner in Fashion Textiles at Dundee University and previously at RGU, Aberdeen and Griffiths, Dublin. She has been external fashion validator for QQI, De Montfort University and Sri Lanka Design Academy.

Janet holds a PhD in Fashion Technology exploring e-textiles to read subconscious biometric responses from the body to support student wellbeing. She has previously researched across design and science to address gender issues in STEM and was awarded the Rolls Royce Science prize. Her research into thermoplastically moulded bulletproof armour for female officers was commericalised and taken up by NATO for deployment to Afghanistan.

She works extensively with industry and has led 8 KTP/FUSION projects, 8 Innovation vouchers, numerous collaborative projects, worked on 3 AHRC projects, and has attracted £831,830 funding.

Her current research interests are in Virtual/3D augmented fashion and digital pattern-engineering technologies and developing bio-textiles for sustainable fashion in the circular economy.

Academic Qualifications

• PhD Fashion Technology 
• MBA
• MSc. Multimedia Computer Based Learning with Education
• Post Grad Dip. Higher Education  
• BA (Hons) Textile and Fashion Design

Professional Qualifications

• Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
• Diploma in Leadership and Management (Dip.LM)
• Aurora alumna, Women in Leadership Programme
• Fellow of Higher Education and Research Practice (FCHERP)

Faculty Roles

• Faculty e-Learning coordinator (2004-2006),Faculty of Arts
• Director of Academic Enterprise, Faculty of Art, Design & Built Environment (2007-2017) with responsibility for leading industry-academia research and enterprise within the creative industries. 

Awards

• Distinguished Enterprise Fellow , Ulster University                     2013
• Outstanding Innovation Award, Intertrade Ireland                       2014
• Rolls Royce Science Prize Winner                                                 2018
• Distinguished Educational Excellence in Innovative Practice Award   2019