Peter Dean

Peter Dean is a Senior Critic in the Department of Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He holds a BFA from RISD and an MFA from Boston University. His academic career spans over 16 years at RISD, where he teaches courses such as Sophomore Studio Methods, Senior Degree Project, and the Sustainability: Green Materials and Green Behavior research elective.

Dean co-developed the Nature-Culture-Sustainability concentration at RISD and teaches its core course. He also collaborated on establishing the R. Buckminster Fuller Biennial Design Science Symposium with the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab and the Synergetics Collaborative. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability in design and material innovation.