Alan Donaldson believes that design, in its true problem-solving role, acts as an essential catalyst in the evolution of any new product, from the more rarified developmental stages to the practical production and marketing. Investigations may consist of applying new materials to existing processes, such as in the development of new fibrous assemblies for yarns or non-woven materials, or in taking a more innovative approach to the current use of conventional or new equipment and processes in the development of new fabrics for new end-uses.

Major investigations currently underway in the college deal with the application of computer technology to the creation of high-resolution color simulations of fabric structures and end products, and to the production of direct-to-fabric "prints" of these same images.

B.Sc. 1st Class Honors, Textile Design, 1966
Scottish College of Textiles (Heriot-Watt University)

Alan Donaldson is a 1st Class Honors graduate of the Scottish College of Textiles (now the Faculty of Textiles of the Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh), where his thesis research, sponsored by Courtaulds, Ltd., dealt with the integration of special hi-bulk acrylic fibers in the production of novelty yarns. He subsequently did post-graduate study at La Escuela de Diseo Textil in Barcelona, Spain, while working there as a coture-fabric designer.

In 1964, Donaldson won 1st and 2nd prizes in the Textile Institute International Design Competition and that same year was the recipient of a scholarship to Paris, where he was under the care of the IWS Fashion Office. In 1965, he received a scholarship for study at the Royal College of Art, in London. In 1966, he was the awarded the prestigious Dr. Oliver Medal for Design "For Excellence in Textile Design".

Alan Donaldson is an Associate (Chartered Technologist) of the Textile Institute, a Member of the Chartered Society of Designers, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 1982, he became a Fellow of the North Carolina Japan Center, after spending 6-months sabbatical in that country.

He has enjoyed widespread industrial experience, both in the USA and in Europe, having started his career as head designer for the Hayward/Schuster Woolen Mills in Massachusetts, then serving later as a stylist in New York city. He even "did time" with the Double-Knit industry in England and Northern Ireland while working with Courtaulds, in London, in the early '70s.

In 1973, he was appointed Lecturer in charge of post-graduate Design studies and Textile Design at UMIST, in Manchester, and was responsible for initiating and developing that institution's highly regarded B.Sc. degree in "Textile Design & Design Management". In 1976, he assumed his present appointment at NCSU, where he is Professor and Program Director of Textile Design curricula. Since 1983, he has been heavily involved in the worldwide evolution and direction of Computer Integrated Design systems for the textile industry and consults to the industry in a variety of capacities.