WHO & WHY

Hi! I’m Paula, and I kind of love smart textiles.

My journey began in the traditional textile and clothing industry, mainly in the private sector in production companies. But in 2017, I shifted my focus to technical and smart textiles production and never looked back. I got a PhD in Engineering from Ghent University in Belgium where I focused on e-textiles alone and there I also stayed as a postdoctoral researcher until 2025. Now, I am a guest professor in Tallinn University of Applied Sciences leading the Applied Smart Textile group. I work on different project on how to integrate smart textiles into the curriculum but also how to help the society using wearables and other smart textile applications.

Imagine a shirt that can monitor your movements to help prevent back pain, or a toy that lights up and changes colors to spark a child’s curiosity about STEAM learning. My mission is to integrate electronics seamlessly into textiles, making them more reliable, sustainable, and practical for everyday use. I’m also proud to contribute to international standardization efforts for e-textiles and to share my research at conferences worldwide.

If you are interested in smart and electronic textiles but you are not sure where to start, what are your options or just want to know more, feel free to contact me!