Jasmina Burek (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and director of the BUilding REsilience through Knowledge (BUREK) Lab.

Her research focuses on life cycle assessment (LCA), circular economy, and developing handprint methods to advance low-carbon, socially just transitions in textiles, fashion, food, energy, and buildings. In the fashion and textile space, Jasmina leads work on the Massachusetts Textile Disposal Ban, examining how policy, campus programs, and consumer behavior can drive textile reuse, repair, and recycling and reduce fast-fashion impacts. She has also co-developed a Flextex proposal for a heated military boot system that uses flexible and hybrid electronics in textile structures, linking performance, durability, and life cycle impacts. Jasmina collaborated with community partners on sustainable clothing initiatives for refugee women.

On campus, student groups organize “Thrift Day” events, while her research group measures the greenhouse gas emissions savings from secondhand clothing choices. She also serves as an ISO critical reviewer for LCA studies, including emerging textile and plastic recycling technologies, and works to integrate sustainability and circularity into core engineering curricula. Across these efforts she connects engineering, policy, and community engagement to support more sustainable and equitable fashion consumption systems.