Louise St Pierre

Louise St Pierre is a Professor at Emily Carr University of Art + Design within the Ian Gillespie Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media. She holds appointments in both the Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media and the Jake Kerr Faculty of Graduate Studies. Her work bridges industrial design, ecological design, and contemplative practices, with a focus on creating sustainable design paradigms that recognize the agency of all beings.

Her research interests center on ecological design, animism, Buddhism, and contemplative practices. St Pierre brings animist views to Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS), advocating that all beings are social and should be included in design processes. She established Canada's first DESIS Lab and serves on the DESIS International Coordination Committee. Her work emphasizes understanding systems, deep ecology, and ecological interdependence, with a focus on redirecting design toward contemplative, holistic, and ethical approaches that prioritize all beings of the more-than-human world.

St Pierre's publications reveal a consistent trajectory toward integrating ecological principles with contemplative practices and animist perspectives. Her work moves beyond conventional sustainable design to develop frameworks that recognize the agency of non-human entities and foster deep ecological literacy. The publications demonstrate increasing sophistication in methods for designers to engage directly with nature, develop new ethical frameworks, and create educational approaches that transform students' relationship with the Earth.

• Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal from Simon Fraser University
• YWCA Women of Distinction Awards nomination (Environmental Sustainability, 2024)
• Funding and awards from the Environmental Protection Agency, IDSA, and The American Center for Design

St Pierre has received significant research funding for Industrial Design, Exhibit Design and Ecological Design work. She founded the Design for All Beings research group at Emily Carr University and established Canada's first Minor in Ecological Design. Her work has influenced sustainable design education internationally, and she continues to develop embodied, relational, and contemplative pedagogies through her networks. She co-chaired the International Design Principles and Practices Conference in 2014 and remains active in international design discourse.

She leads the Design for All Beings research group at Emily Carr University, which explores how designers can prioritize all beings of the more-than-human world. As a founding member of Canada's first DESIS Lab, she researches how design can influence low-impact behaviors and lifestyles. Her approach integrates wisdom traditions, contemplative practices, and animist perspectives to develop new design methodologies that recognize the agency of all beings.