Kavita Mathur

Bio

My main area of research is in design, manufacture and process-structure-property relationships of textile materials, and their end-use performance and applications. Prior to joining NC State, majority of my research and development work in the industry included healthcare textiles; the impact of textile on health, sleep, performance and comfort; material innovation; end-use performance of textile materials; smart textiles design, which includes functional and interactive textile solutions; and fiber composites. Building on my prior research experience in healthcare, I have undertaken translational research to provide quality of life through a “bench to bedside” approach. My research program focuses on multidisciplinary aspects related to human health and wellness centering on: a) creating meaningful and impactful research that will contribute to the society, to their health and well-being, and the environment, and b) facilitating health centered research that will enhance the application and sustainability of evidence-based health and health care services into community settings, locally and globally. Based on the report published by Healthy Building Network (HBN) and Health Care With-out Harm (HCWH) indicates that there is significant opportunities exist for textiles to reduce the risk of environmental exposures for hospital staff, patients, and larger global community. With the increasing healthcare need, aging populations, privatization of healthcare centers, demand for contract linen/laundry services, infection control, durability and safety, the necessity for the research and innovation has become more demanding and the potential for textiles and textiles materials in healthcare field is expected to grow more and more. Also, there are research holes in this field that need to be filled and these topics are attracting more and more interest from industry, healthcare institutions, and, from government agencies.