Jintu Fan to lead integration of fashion and technology at Cornell

Jintu Fan, world-renowned as an innovator in textile science and design, joined the College of Human Ecology Jan. 1 as professor and chair of the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design.

Fan, most recently associate head and professor of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is also the first of three anticipated Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellows in the college. Jim Morgan '60, MBA '63, and Becky Quinn Morgan '60 gave $10 million to Cornell last fall in part to support such strategic faculty hires.

"Bringing Jintu Fan to our college is a major step toward bridging the technical interface of fiber science and apparel design in an increasingly competitive field," said Alan Mathios, dean of the College of Human Ecology.

Fan has secured many research grants and produced numerous patents for his work on the integration of fashion design and technology. His research focuses primarily on interactions among the human body, clothing, and the environment. His multidisciplinary approach blends computer modeling, nanotechnology, biomimetics, neuropsychology, and other disciplines to develop clothing that enhances functional performance and aesthetic appearance.

Fan is perhaps best known for leading the development of Walter, the world’s first sweating fabric manikin. Walter enables researchers to test the thermal comfort of clothing under different climatic conditions.

Fan also explores perceptions of beauty and is credited with discovering volume-height index (VHI), a measure of female attractiveness. The formula—body volume divided the square of height—helps to quantify human notions of female beauty.

Fan, with degrees from China Textile University and The University of Leeds, is an honorary fellow of Textile Institute—given to a select few in the world as the highest honor for creativity and advancement of knowledge in the area of textiles.