Don P. Giddens, dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech, has announced the appointment of Sundaresan Jayaraman as the Kolon Term Professor. This new professorship in Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering was established thanks to a gift from Kolon, a leader in the Korean chemical fiber manufacturing industry.

Jayaraman was unanimously voted in by the selection committee and will hold the position for a term of four years.  Jayaraman holds a joint appointment between the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the College of Management and is actively engaged in cutting edge research in smart textiles for healthcare.

 “We are very excited about this new partnership between the School of Materials Science and Engineering and Kolon,” Dean Giddens said.  “The investment by Kolon in Dr. Jayaraman’s work demonstrates the importance of academic research to innovation in industry.”

Jayaraman and his research group have made significant contributions in the area of high-tech textiles, including the realization of the world's first Wearable Motherboard™, also known as the “Smart Shirt.” It is currently in the Archives of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. 

Jayaraman’s current research interests include engineering design and analysis of intelligent fibrous structures and processes, information technology and healthcare including wearable biomedical systems, and the role of technology in public policy.

Kolon was founded as the first Korean chemical fiber manufacturing company in 1957 and since 1980 has diversified into key national industries such as petrochemicals, construction and electronic materials. In 2000, Kolon decided that water, bio and energy would be the future growth engines and has focused on developing related technologies and businesses.  As a pioneer of the synthetic fiber industry in the 20th century, Kolon Glotech, a member of the Kolon Group, continues its efforts to be at the forefront of technology development in materials and textiles.

 “We are proud to establish the Kolon Term Professorship at Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering and could not be happier with the appointment of Dr. Jayaraman as the first holder of the position,” said Dong Moon Park, CEO of Kolon Glotech.

The School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech is one of the strongest in the world with 55 thesis sponsoring faculty.  Its undergraduate and graduate programs are routinely ranked among the nation’s leading programs by U.S. News and World Report. The School offers degrees in Materials Science and Engineering at the bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. levels and its faculty scholars attract more than $26 million in annual research funding each year and lead 14 major interdisciplinary research centers, including centers devoted to Nanotechnology, Bioengineering, Molecular Design, Electronic Packaging and Photonics.