Deakin University leads the way in textile science and engineering

DEAKIN University is leading the way in textile science and engineering, ranking number one in Australia and 30th globally in the 2024 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).

The ranking was decided out of more than 1,900 universities in 55 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences.

Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), home to textile science and engineering at Deakin, director Professor Sally McArthur said the Shanghai Ranking confirms Deakin as Australia’s leading university for textile science and engineering.

“IFM is the largest dedicated materials science institute in Australia and home to the largest research group in fibres and textiles on the southern hemisphere.

“It gives you a sense of just how big it is globally as a sector and obviously textiles and fibres are markets that we’re seeing a lot of renewed interest in because of recycling.

“In addition to our exceptionally talented researchers who have decades of textile research experience, the world class pilot-scale facilities within Deakin’s ecosystem gives us a unique edge over our peers not only in Australia, but the world.”

The GRAS is evaluated using a range of objective academic indicators and third-party data, measuring the performance in the subjects.

Textiles and fibres have been a focus of the IFM, and the university, spanning from day-to-day products through to carbon fibre and composites and technical textiles.

The Deakin team have a deep knowledge, thinking about products from lab to label and making products people can buy, something Prof. McArthur believes makes them stand out.

“It’s not just making a little bit of something in the lab that you go and look at, it’s actually making materials that people can buy and that companies can see how the technologies can be used,” she said.

The university also placed in the top 50 world rankings for education, nursing, business administration, public health and hospitality and tourism.