Carolyn Barnes

Associate Professor Carolyn Barnes serves as Academic Director of Research Training at Swinburne University's School of Design and Architecture. She teaches qualitative research methods and investigates participatory design approaches, designer facilitation, and community-centered design practices. With a PhD from University of Melbourne, Professor Barnes has supervised 26 doctoral students to completion.

Her research explores how design can empower communities through co-creation methods, particularly examining grassroots innovation practices like India's jugaad. Research interests include design facilitation methodologies, communication design pedagogy, social enterprise models, and craft sustainability.

Recent publications analyze portfolio literacy for design graduates, pedagogical innovations through assessment reform, regulatory frameworks for social enterprises, and graphic design contributions to web interactivity. Her work bridges academic research and practical applications in diverse cultural contexts.

Awards and Honors:

• Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (Australian Government, 2016)

Professor Barnes has led multiple funded projects developing co-design approaches for health communications, including pelvic floor health awareness campaigns. She examines design's role in the 'pluriverse'—recognizing diverse knowledge systems beyond Euro-American professional design traditions.