Nonwoven Product Development & Innovation

INSTRUCTORS

Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., The William A. Klopman Distinguished Chaired Professor of Materials in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, Associate Dean for Industry Research and Extension in the College of Textiles, Founding Executive Director of The Nonwovens Institute

Dr. Pourdeyhimi Holds a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK.

He is The William A. Klopman Distinguished Chaired Professor of Materials in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. He is also a Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He is currently serving as the Associate Dean for Industry Research and Extension in the College of Textiles and is also the Founding Executive Director of the Nonwovens Institute. Prior to joining NC State, he was a professor at the School of Textiles and Fiber Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, he served for eleven years on the faculty in Textiles; and Materials & Nuclear Engineering at the University of Maryland. He spent two years at Cornell as a research scientist studying biomaterials. He is the recipient of the 1994-1995 Distinguished Achievement Award by the Fiber Society, The 2007 TAPPI Technical Achievement and Hollingsworth award and the 2008 INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award. He has served as the President of the Fiber Society and has also been elected as the Fellow of the Textile Institute in United Kingdom.

Dr. Pourdeyhimi's research interests are in the area of nonwovens, responsive fibrous systems, filtration, computational modeling, materials, failure mechanisms, software algorithms, optics and image analysis. He has published several books and monographs, has authored or co-authored over 200 refereed publications, has more than 30 patents and has made over two hundred presentations in his areas of interests.

Tom Daugherty, Deputy Director, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI)

Daugherty is an R&D Manager with a proven track record of leading and managing innovation organizations, and in delivering innovation for business growth. He recently retired from The Procter & Gamble Company as Associate Director of Corporate R&D. As Deputy Director, Daugherty oversees the core research programs, works with faculty to formulate the research agenda for NWI and helps build strategic alliances with many of NWI’s industry partners. He is also responsible for implementation of the NWI’s strategic plan in relation to research and infrastructure.

Benoit Maze, Ph.D., Director of Education and Administration, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI)

Dr. Maze has been with the institute since 2003 in various research positions, from modeling to product development.

Amy Minton, Physical Testing Lab Manager, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI)

Ms. Minton received her B.S. degree in Textile Technology from NCSU. Ms. Minton has managed the Analytical and Physical testing labs for NWI since 2000.

Angelo Corino, Research Engineer, Lab Manager – Meltblown, Spunbond/Hydroentangling, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI)

Angelo joined The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) in 2006 after serving for 21 years as a Production Supervisor and Lead Pilot Line Technician at Fiberweb in Simpsonville, South Carolina. While at Fiberweb, Angelo worked on a line responsible for many advancements in the company's nonwovens technology.

Since joining NWI, Angelo has led the Institute's Meltblown and Spunbond/Hydroentangling Pilot Labs as a Lab Manager and Research Engineer. In this capacity, Angelo works directly with NWI leadership and industry partners to develop solutions to varied nonwovens challenges. Angelo is also the Safety Officer at NWI and was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Institute's GMP, ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 certifications.

Raoul Farer, Ph.D., Executive Deputy Director, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI)

Dr. Farer, a graduate of NC State and former student researcher with NWI, joined the team in 2024 following a 24-year career with Freudenberg Performance Materials with various assignments in Germany, Spain, and the United States. As part of the Institute's leadership team, Dr. Farer works closely with Dr. Pourdeyhimi and Tom Daugherty to manage the implementation of NWI's strategic vision.