Dr. Prashant Desai Elected as Emeritus Member

Dr. Prashant Desai was elected as an Emeritus Member of The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) during NWI’s Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meeting earlier this year. Prashant joins thirteen other individuals who have made incredible contributions not only to NWI but to the broader nonwovens industry.

Dr. Desai retired as Chief Innovation Officer for Fibers at Indorama Ventures PCL on May 31, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.  His initial involvement with NWI came when he was named FiberVisions’ member representative of what was then known as the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC) in 2002 while he was located at the company’s technical and manufacturing center in Covington, Georgia, USA.  He later became the leader of the Thermal Bonding Focus group and a member of the external advisory board until 2009.  When NWI’s Scientific Advisory Board was formed in 2010, he was elected to be one of its first members.  In this role, Prashant made numerous contributions supporting the growth and maturation of The Nonwovens Institute and in advancing the NWI academic-industry partnership model in conducting basic research on industry-relevant topics.  At the expiration of his term on the board – now the Strategic Scientific Advisory Board (SSAB) – Dr. Desai was honored in 2020 by selection as an Emeritus Member of the Board; allowing him to continue to benefit the SSAB with his experience, insights and energy.  He is now recognized as an Emeritus Member of the Institute.

Dr. Desai received his Doctorate in Chemical Engineering specializing in Polymer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA in 1988, and then joined the faculty there where he was Associate Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering with a primary appointment in the School of Textile and Fiber Engineering and an adjunct appointment in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.  He received the Distinguished Achievement Award from The Fiber Society in 1995.  Following 10 years in Academia, he joined FiberVisions in 1998 as a Research Scientist followed by a number of positions of increasing responsibility within the company including Senior Research Fellow and R&D Director. He was elected as President of The Fiber Society for the year 2000.  In 2016, Dr. Desai was appointed Chief Innovation Officer for Fibers at Indorama Ventures PCL (which had acquired FiberVisions in 2012) located in Bangkok, Thailand. 

It has been my privilege to support NWI
and see its growth to become
the premier institute for nonwovens in the world

With regard to his election as an Emeritus Member of the Institute, Prashant said “I am very grateful to NWI for the honor. I cherish my association with NWI first as a faculty member at Georgia Tech and then from an industry perspective. It has been my privilege to support NWI and see its growth to become the premier institute for nonwovens in the world excelling in research and academic training. I especially want to note the outstanding graduate students that have been trained by NWI.”

Prashant has returned to Georgia in the US and plans to continue to advise the industry on a part time basis, travel and pursue a variety of other interests.

NWI’s Emeritus Members provide services and expertise in particular areas of need on a volunteer basis. “Having served the nonwovens industry over the course of their long and accomplished careers, our volunteer team members bring a wealth of knowledge and insight to help advance NWI’s organizational goals,” said NWI Executive Director Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., “We thank them for their faithful support.”  https://thenonwovensinstitute.com/about-nwi/nwi-stakeholders/#volunteers