معرفی
Yoko Akama is an Associate Professor in the School of Design at RMIT University, Australia. Her work focuses on design anthropology, participatory co-design, and addressing socio-environmental challenges through culturally sensitive, community-led approaches. She has collaborated internationally with Indigenous communities, governments, and NGOs to enhance disaster resilience and social innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Her research integrates Indigenous methodologies, climate adaptation, and ethical design practices. Notable projects include co-designing disaster preparedness strategies with Wiradjuri Nation and exploring women’s leadership through craft in Australia and Japan. She has received awards such as the Good Design Award (2018) and recognition as a leading Visual Arts researcher in Australia (2020–2022).
- Affiliations: RMIT University, Design+Ethnography+Futures program, and multiple international advisory roles.
- Grants: Over $2M in funding for projects like First Nations Disaster Resilience Strategies (2024), Women’s Leadership in Social Innovation (2022), and Creative Economy Research (2019).
- Teaching: Develops curricula emphasizing intercultural collaboration and mindfulness in design education, recognized by RMIT’s Teaching Innovation Award (2018).
Her scholarly contributions include books such as Uncertainty and Possibility (2018) and Entanglements of Designing Social Innovation in the Asia-Pacific (2024), exploring generative uncertainty and future-making through design.
