Zoë Hillyard has a background in Embroidery and knitwear design.  She is based within the College of Jewellery Fashion & Textiles at Birmingham City University and is Course Leader for BA(Hons) Textile Design.  She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has over 20 years of lecturing experience in both national and international contexts. Zoë is also an established textile artist craft practitioner working with consumer waste streams through the disciplines of textiles and ceramics, creating work exploring care and circularity.  She is a member of the Contemporary Applied Arts gallery in London and The Society of Designer Craftsman, working with national archives, undertaking commissions, and exhibiting nationally and internationally.   She is interested in the role craft plays within livelihood activities and has undertaken field research in Peru, Nepal and Mongolia presenting findings through publications and exhibitions. 

The strong connection between materials, culture, nature and community remain core to her research interests.  Zoe helped establish the Growth Garden and MAT_er.Lab, Fashion & Textile’s natural dye and biomaterial development spaces, and works collaboratively to publish and exhibit in relation to circular design pedagogy.