A PhD student says attending the Beijing International Forum of Colour and Vision Science has reaffirmed her belief that researchers and the industry are working together to answer pressing questions.
The four-day event brought together over 200 delegates from across the world, with researchers joining with industry from global companies such as L’Oreal, Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Vivo.
Attending the conference builds on The School of Design’s active international presence across leading conferences and global research communities, as well as reinforcing the role of collaboration in addressing shared challenges in science, engineering, design, and industry.
Yifei Chen, a PhD student in Design at the University of Leeds, said: “One of the things I really value about being at Leeds is that the line between academic research and industry application is treated as porous rather than rigid.
“My PhD on skin colour perception sits naturally at that intersection: it draws on rigorous psychophysics, but its outputs have direct implications for cosmetics, displays, and image capture.
“At this conference I've spoken with researchers collaborating directly with companies like L'Oréal, and it's reinforced for me that the questions I'm asking aren't just theoretical, they’re questions industry is actively trying to answer.”
Building networks
Yifei, who also completed her BA and MA at the University of Leeds, felt the conference was an opportunity to gain insight into how research ideas are generated, what problems are being solved and how those outcomes eventually make their way into industry.
She was able to meet key researchers in an area she is passionate about, and gain “unexpected clarity” about her own research after listening to keynote speeches.
“Honestly, I came into this PhD with some self-esteem struggles and imposter syndrome, something I think a lot of research students quietly experience. So having senior researchers express genuine interest in my work this week has meant more to me than I expected,” Yifei said.
She added: “For my future career, what's mattered most this week isn't a single contact or opportunity: it’s seeing what a career in this field can actually look like over twenty or thirty years. Leeds' emphasis on building these networks early in the PhD, rather than waiting until later, gives students like me a real head-start. Not just professionally, but in imagining what's possible.”
The questions I'm asking aren't just theoretical, they’re questions industry is actively trying to answer.
Professor Kaida Xiao, Research group leader for Colour Technology Research Group and Professor of Colour and Imaging Science at Leeds’ School of Design, and the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC), led a workshop at the conference which was attended by industry including Apple and Huawei.
The workshop focused on Professor Xiao’s research area of skin tone and colour science, which has included working with a smartphone company to make digital photographs more accurately represent all skin tones.
Professor Xiao said: “Conferences like these are excellent opportunities for academics, students and industry. We hosted our International Colour and Textile Conference in Leeds in 2025 which was a huge success and was attended by industry including L’Oreal Paris, Unilever and Burberry.
“These events are a great chance to strengthen those connections and enhance the partnerships with industry and researchers.”
Global recognition
Building on this international engagement, the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour, situated within the School of Design, will host the International Textile and Colour Conference 2027 (ITCC 2027), further strengthening Leeds’ position as a globally recognised centre for textile and colour innovation.
ITCC 2027 will bring together leading researchers, industry experts, policymakers and innovators to explore the transformation of textile, fashion and colour industries across global value chains. The conference will focus on the development of sustainable, high-performance and digitally enabled systems, underpinned by advances in materials science, manufacturing, design and circular economy approaches.
Further information
For further information, please contact Becky Pascoe in the University of Leeds press office on r.pascoe@leeds.ac.uk