Project Team
Evelyn Rynkiewicz
assistant professor, Science and Math
Evelyn Rynkiewicz, Assistant Professor of Science and Math, and adviser to FIT’s Biodesign Challenge teams, is an ecologist interested in parasite co-infection in natural systems. She applies ecological ideas and theories developed for free-living systems to within-host processes to better understand interactions between co-infecting parasites and their effects on host condition.
Theanne Schiros
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
Theanne Schiros, PhD, is assistant professor of Science and Mathematics at FIT, where she teaches physics, chemistry and sustainability courses. She is the FIT coordinator and faculty lead for the international Biodesign Challenge, guiding students on how to rethink textiles through technology, biology and sustainable design. She is also a visiting scholar and principal investigator at Columbia University in the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), as well as the diversity liaison, working collaboratively across the center to explore 2D materials for next generation, post-silicon electronic devices, and catalysts for clean energy applications. Schiros is engaged in international sustainable development with organizations such as Engineers without Borders (Haiti) and the Finca Morpho Permaculture collective (Costa Rica). She has published her work in numerous peer-reviewed journals and has been the recipient of multiple grants to support this work, including the National Geographic Chasing Genius Award (Sustainable Planet), and was the United Nations ECOWAS Fellow for Sustainable Energy Engineering, the NYSERDA Fellow, and an EFRC Fellow for next generation photovoltaic devices at Columbia University in the area of nanomaterials science and engineering. She is the co-founder of Algiknit, a start-up developing kelp-based biomaterials and bioyarn for sustainable textiles in a closed loop life cycle.
Susanne Goetz
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TEXTILE/SURFACE DESIGN
Susanne Goetz worked as a textile designer, lecturer, researcher and project manager in Germany, Thailand, and the UK before becoming an assistant professor in FIT’s Textile/Surface Design Department. Goetz’s expertise is in printed textile design, with a special focus on both digital and traditional approaches to design and production, as well as sustainable business and manufacturing practices. Outside of her educational work, she frequently collaborates on multidisciplinary projects in the fields of accessories, event, fashion, and jewelry design. She holds a BA in textile design from Hof University of Applied Sciences, in Germany, and an MSc in textile and apparel technology management from North Carolina State University. She is a Fulbright Program alumna and a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.