Dr. Eric Hequet is Horn Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science and the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute. He is Senior Associate Vice President for Research the Office of Research and Innovation at Texas Tech University. He holds a Ph.D. and a “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches” in textile engineering from the University of Haute Alsace, Mulhouse, France. Dr. Hequet generated 112 refereed journal publications, 2 books, 9 book chapters, more than 260 conference papers, 3 patents, 3 provisional patents, and 1 invention disclosure. Since he joined TTU, he has been PI or Co-PI on more than 250 funded projects totaling $35.6 million ($12.8 million credited to him at TTU). These grants and contracts are from state and federal agencies, and the cotton industry. He is providing national and international leadership in research on cotton fiber properties, including the impacts of these on textile processing performance. He is currently focused on collaborative research with the cotton breeding and cotton biotechnology community to develop improved cotton fibers properties.