All Writers: List

Debra Lam is the Founding Director of the Partnership for Innovation (PIN), Georgia Institute of Technology, a statewide public-private partnership committed to investing in innovative solutions for shared economic prosperity. She continues to lead smart communities and urban innovation work at Georgia Tech. Prior to this, she served as Pittsburgh’s inaugural chief of innovation and performance where she oversaw all technology, sustainability, performance, and innovation functions of city government.

Professor Valérie S Langlois is particularly interested in the harmful effects on vertebrates of chemicals present in aquatic environments. These substances can potentially affect all stages of cellular regulation in aquatic vertebrates, from hormone synthesis to target cell responses, and consequently they can alter the metabolism, development, and reproduction of vertebrates.

The main theme of her research programme is the identification of physiological responses and regulatory mechanisms in vertebrates exposed to environmental contaminants. For more than 10 years, she has been working with academic and government partners to determine the harmful effects of these contaminants on vertebrates.

Agbaje Lateef is Professor of Microbiology with teaching and research experience in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso since 1998, and vast interests in Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, especially fermentation processes and enzyme technology. His work also involves the green synthesis and applications of nanoparticles in the field of Nanotechnology. He is the Head of Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+) (www.lautechnanotech.com) at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria, and the lead author of Microbial Nanobiotechnology: Principles and Applications (Springer: 2021)

Raphaël Lavoie is  currently a Research Scientist in the Science and Technology Branch at Environment and Climate Change Canada. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). He works on contaminants and other environmental stressors in wildlife, particularly aquatic birds. He also works on a wide range of contaminants and use advanced field techniques to assess exposure and risks to wildlife.

Dr Michael S W Lee is an Associate Professor of Marketing. He is also the Director of the MBA programme, Assistant Dean of Professional Programs at The University of Auckland, and the Director of The International Centre of Anti-Consumption Research (ICAR). His area of research includes brand avoidance, consumer resistance, activism, and anti-consumption where he actively supervises PhD students in the area of religiously motivated boycotting, product crisis trust recovery, family consumption conflict resolution, and anti-consumption in emerging economies. 

His work has been published in top journals such as The Journal of Business Research; Psychology & Marketing; European Journal of Marketing; Applied Psychology; Journal of Public Policy and Marketing; Journal of Consumer Affairs; Journal of Product and Brand Management; Journal of Macromarketing; Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services; Advances in Consumer Research; Consumption, Markets and Culture; Australasian Marketing Journal; Journal of Consumer Marketing; and Journal of Consumer Behaviour. Mike continues to collaborate with industry implementing numerous real-world projects and has provided expert commentary for over 400 media engagements.

Professor Martina Linnenluecke is an internationally recognised scholar who conducts research on the strategic and financial implications of corporate adaptation and resilience to global environmental change, with a specific focus on the impacts of climate change. At UTS, she leads the Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, which comprises an interdisciplinary team of experts undertaking work on climate adaptation and resilience, decarbonisation, sustainable finance, climate analytics, metrics, targets and disclosure, and well as climate policy responses. The work of the Centre supports businesses in taking urgent and immediate collaborative action to decarbonise the economy and regenerate Country and planetary health.

Mark Liu is Visiting Scholar: School of Architecture and School of Engineering at University of Technology Sydney.

With a solid background in Public Accounting and a burning passion for sustainable fashion, Verónica López Valenzuela has emerged as a visionary leader in the Mexican textile industry. Her journey of over seven years in the field has been an exciting adventure filled with challenges and transformative learning experiences.

Graduating with honours, Verónica delved into the world of sustainable fashion after completing courses at Polimoda, where she immersed herself in the principles of sustainability and social responsibility. This change of direction led her to found Materia Consumo Sostenible in 2020, the first platform in Mexico dedicated to education and research in sustainable fashion.

Under the wing of Materia Consumo Sostenible, Verónica launched La Materia, a pioneering conference that addresses the complexities of the textile industry in the global south. This event goes beyond the conventional, exploring ecological, social, psychological, and economic aspects of fashion, with a focus on tangible solutions.

To materialise her ideals, in 2022 Verónica led the first pilot project of organic cotton in Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua, as part of her vision to create products that return to the earth harmoniously, respecting the biodiversity that inhabits it.

Verónica López Valenzuela is more than a advocate for sustainable fashion; she is a driving force that is changing the game in Mexico and beyond. Her dedication, vision, and leadership are paving the way for a more conscious and equitable future in the fashion industry.

Materia Consumo Sostenible stands at the forefront of sustainable fashion education, pioneering transformative initiatives not only within the Mexican textile industry but also on a global scale. Established in 2020, Materia Consumo Sostenible has since been instrumental in driving sustainability efforts and fostering collaborative solutions to address the multifaceted challenges faced by the textile production chain.

With over two decades of experience in apparel sourcing from 18 countries, Roopak Malik runs Textiles Sourcing Limited (established 1994), a multi-country sourcing buying agency and trading/manufacturing company based in New Delhi, India. With an annual turnover of US$15 million, it has sourcing offices in Bangladesh and India.

Vanessa Mardirossian holds a Fashion Design Bachelor from Paris (1992-1996) and a Master of Arts in Textile Design from London (1996-1998). With over two decades of experience in the European and Canadian fashion industry, she brings a wealth of practical knowledge to her current role as a PhD Candidate in the School of Graduate Studies at Concordia University (INDI program, 2017-2024). Her  research, centered around Textile Ecoliteracy, bridges the realms of Design, Environmental Health, and Ecology, with a specific focus on sustainable dyes.