Larissa M. Shepherd is an Assistant Professor of Human Centered Design in the field of Fiber Science. She directs the Responsive Apparel Design Laboratory (RAD lab) in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Professor Shepherd obtained her Ph.D. and M.S. from the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University and a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University.
The goal of RAD is to study how extreme processing of fibers affects both the matrix and inclusions’ properties. Professor Shepherd and her group research how the processing can be modulated to tune different optical, mechanical, and electrical properties. Professor Shepherd’s current research thrust creates optically responsive fibers for applications in apparel and, more generally, in textiles.
Her lab designs from the bottom up; from nanoparticles, to fibers, to textiles, understanding that each level has an impact on the resulting product. Professor Shepherd uses her knowledge of materials science, chemistry, structural textile design, and fiber forming processes to achieve her research goals of creating fibers and textiles that have the potential for high impact in agriculture, protective apparel, health, energy, and sensing applications.