Dr. Amanda Parkes is a fashion scientist with over 20 years of experience in fashion innovation, sustainability, biofabrication, wearable technology, interaction design and smart materials spanning research, development, and product commercialization for start ups and major tech and fashion companies. As the founding scientist and Chief Innovation Officer of Pangaia, she worked to build a material science company and fashion brand, leading R&D and launching first to market material innovations in responsible lifestyle products. Pangaia was named #4 on Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Brands.

She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Regeneration VC, an impact investment fund focused on early stage consumer climate tech solutions, and as Scientific Advisor to Matereal, a startup launching a breakthrough in responsible polyurethane through biobased chemistry. She received a PhD & M.S. in Tangible Media from the MIT Media Lab and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Art History from Stanford University.

She is an international speaker & lecturer including TED, COP, CES, WEF, the World Biomarkets Summit, the Vogue Innovation Prize and the New York Times International Luxury Conference. She has been named to the Business of Fashion 500 People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry, Vanity Fair’s 8 Wildest Women of Silicon Valley, The Glossy 50: Fashion’s Digital Front Runners, a Verizon Pioneer of Humanability and as one of Alleywatch’s 10 Most Influential People in Fashion Technology.

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