Jan 2023 – Present  ·  PhD in Textile Design Education

School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK

Thesis: Patterns in Textile Design Education — A 27-Year Analysis of Final-Year Projects at the School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA), Loughborough University. Supervisors: Dr. Avsar Gürpinar and Dr. Tincuta Heinzel.

2025  ·  Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education

Loughborough University, UK

Completed alongside doctoral research. Pathway to Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

2019 – 2020  ·  MA Design Innovation and Collaborative Creativity

Glasgow School of Art / University of Glasgow, UK

2015  ·  PGCE — Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Secondary)

Mauritius

Teacher training qualification supporting secondary-level teaching practice.

2010  ·  BSc in Textile and Fashion Design

University of Mauritius

Jan 2023 – Present  ·  Doctoral Researcher

School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK

PhD researcher within the Textiles group. Conducting a 27-year mixed-methods analysis of undergraduate textile design projects at SDCA, building a FAIR-aligned digital archive and producing curriculum recommendations for UK textile pedagogy.

Sep 2024 – Present  ·  Teaching Assistant — Speculative Futures

School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK

Supporting the Speculative Futures undergraduate module. Assisting with seminars, project tutorials, and marking.

Sep 2024 – Sep 2025  ·  Doctoral Lead (SDCA)

School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK

Doctoral researcher representative for SDCA, linking PhD students with the school. Coordinated events, raised concerns, and supported incoming researchers. Awarded Doctoral Lead Rep of the Year 2025.

Nov 2024 – Present  ·  Student Ambassador

Loughborough University, UK

Representing the School of Design and Creative Arts at open days, applicant events, and outreach activities.

Nov 2024 – May 2025  ·  Theme Manager — Creative Reactions

Pint of Science UK · Loughborough

Coordinated the Creative Reactions strand of Pint of Science Loughborough 2025, pairing local artists with researchers to translate scientific work into artworks shown during the festival.

May 2025 – Present  ·  Housekeeping Staff

Loughborough University, UK

Part-time facilities role alongside doctoral research.

Nov 2024 – Jan 2025  ·  Technical Textile Cover

School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK

Short-term technical cover supporting textile workshops and studio teaching. Assisted students and staff with looms, knitting machines, and general studio operations.

Jan 2021 – Jan 2023  ·  Graphic Design Lecturer (part-time)

Open University of Mauritius

Lectured in graphics and multimedia, alongside full-time secondary teaching. Delivered modules including Hypermedia and Interactive Photography, Photography Design Studio, VR Studio, and Basic Design Studio. Helped structure course content and mentored undergraduate students.

Jan 2012 – Jan 2023  ·  Textile Design Educator / Section Leader (full-time)

Collège Bon et Perpétuel Secours, Mauritius

Eleven years teaching textiles and design at secondary level, leading the design section. Built and ran the curriculum, supervised student projects, and prepared students for national exams and design competitions.

• 2025 · Doctoral Lead Rep of the Year — Loughborough University

• 2025 · Vocal Visionary Award — SDCA Doctoral Researcher Awards

• 2025 · Doctoral Summer Showcase — Interactive Exhibition Winner

• 2025 · Sustainability Week Photography — Winner

• 2024 · Doctoral Summer Showcase — Interactive Exhibition Winner

• 2023 · Vice-Chancellor’s Art Collection Award

• 2025 · Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

• 2020 · SIE Scottish Innovative Student Award (Innovation Champion + Catalyst + Future Thinker)

Software & digital tools 

Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Miro, Zoom.

Textile & making 

Hand and power loom weaving, hand and machine knitting, fashion sampling, garment construction, dyeing, textile sampling.

Research methods 

Mixed-methods research, grounded theory, qualitative coding, case study analysis, semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis, set-theoretic analysis (QCA), practice-based research, collaborative creativity, co-design.

Teaching & academic 

Curriculum design, module delivery, student supervision, marking and assessment, mentoring, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Languages

• English — Fluent

• Mauritian Creole — Native

• French — Fluent

• Urdu — Intermediate

• Punjabi — Intermediate

• Hindi — Intermediate

• Bhojpuri — Intermediate

2025  ·  Mapping the Evolution of Textile Design Pedagogy in the UK: Undergraduate Insights from Loughborough University

Samshad, D.B. (2025). In Chang, C.-Y., Chen, C.-H., & Hsu, Y. (Eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 2–5 December, Taipei, Taiwan. Poster paper and presentation, sole-authored. DOI: 10.21606/iasdr.2025.476

Analyses 1,706 undergraduate textile design projects from Loughborough University (1999–2025) using grounded coding, set-theoretic analysis (QCA), and descriptive trend mapping. Identifies a post-2015 rise in digital practice, growing sustainability intent, and the continuing role of cultural and locational references. Produced a FAIR-aligned digital archive within the Loughborough Repository.

2025  ·  Reinterpreting Migration in Undergraduate Textile Design at Loughborough University: Cultural Memory and Environmental Responsibility in Practice

Presented at the 16th 4T Design and Design History Symposium — On the Move: Objects / Images / Spaces, 6–7 November 2025, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey. Sole-authored.

Explores how emerging textile designers engage with tropical island imagery and migratory histories in their final-year undergraduate projects.

Posters

2025  ·  Mapping Textile Design Pedagogy in the UK: Undergraduate Insights from Loughborough University

Loughborough University Doctoral Summer Showcase 2025. Loughborough University Research Repository.

2024  ·  Degree Showcases: A Study of Textile-Design Education at the Undergraduate Level in the United Kingdom

Loughborough University Doctoral Summer Showcase 2024. Loughborough University Research Repository.

Project Contributions

2021  ·  Anti-Amnesia: Design Research as an Agent for Narrative and Material Regeneration

LUME — Unexpected Media Lab, Institute of Research in Design, Media and Art, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

Contributed a written extract to the project publication, and supplied upcycled textiles used in the making of Portuguese Amalgams — a sneaker prototype developed within the Anti-Amnesia research project.

Forthcoming

2026  ·  Belonging to Time: Design Infrastructure as Mediator of Urgency and Continuity in Emergency Alerts and Educational Archives

UD26 — Belonging: to place, time, and practice. Doctoral conference for design PhD researchers, Departamento de Comunicação e Arte (DeCA), University of Aveiro, Portugal.

2025  ·  Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Advance HE

Awarded following completion of PG-Cert in Higher Education at Loughborough University.