MKWAWA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Cosmas Fednand is a materials science and textile chemistry researcher whose work focuses on the development of sustainable, high-performance biomaterials from plant and marine resources. He recently completed his PhD titled “Development of Multifunctional Decorated Wet-Spun Filaments from High-Deacetylated Chitin Nanofibrils for Textile Applications,” where he advanced an innovative approach for producing strong, functionalized filaments using chitin nanofibrils derived from crab shells. His research contributes to emerging fields in biomedical textiles, nanomaterials engineering, and circular-economy-driven utilization of agricultural and marine wastes.

Throughout his academic and professional journey, Cosmas has worked extensively on bio-composites, functional textile fibers, natural polymers, and the chemistry of dyes. His research spans reactive dyeing systems, cross-linking chemistry, wet-spinning, fiber surface modification, and structure–property relationships of bio-derived filaments. He has also conducted applied studies on sisal, seaweed, sea cucumber and crab value chains in Tanzania,

Professionally, Cosmas works with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the project called Bahari Maisha.  His broader interests include sustainable future textiles, packaging, green processing technologies, and the design of bio-based materials for advanced applications such as textiles, packaging. Driven by innovation and community impact, he aims to contribute to the next generation of eco-friendly materials and industrial solutions in Tanzania and beyond.