Shawhin Roudbari

Shawhin Roudbari serves as Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Community-Engaged Design and Research (CEDaR) at the Program in Environmental Design (ENVD), University of Colorado Boulder. His academic work bridges architectural theory with sociological studies of social movements and race.

Research Interests: Shawhin specializes in contentious politics within design professions, focusing on environmental vulnerability in incarceration infrastructure, racial equity in architectural practice, and disaster resilience. His ethnographic and speculative design methods address how designers organize to confront social problems, particularly through the lens of institutional racism and colonial hierarchies.

His recent publications reveal strong thematic convergence around carceral geography (analyzing climate risks in prisons), decolonial practice (challenging neoliberal multiculturalism in development), and counter-institutional pedagogy (developing alternative educational models through Dark Matter University and Design as Protest).

Organizational Affiliations:

• Co-Director, Center for Community-Engaged Design and Research (CEDaR)
• Founding Member, Dissent by Design Research Collective
• Organizer, Dark Matter University (DMU)
• Organizer, Design as Protest (DAP)

Shawhin's collaborative work emphasizes community-led design activism and challenges colorblind approaches in architectural practice. His research integrates fieldwork in correctional facilities with participatory design methods to address systemic inequities in built environments.