Centre for Design, Values and Public Imagination

School of Design & Innovation, RV University

The Centre for Design, Values and Public Imagination is a transdisciplinary research centre that works at the intersection of design, systems thinking, and real-world challenges.

The most pressing challenges of our time, ecological disruption, social inequity, and technological change, demand thinking that cuts across disciplines. The Centre brings together designers, researchers, educators, and practitioners to work across boundaries, engage with communities, and produce outputs that extend beyond the academy.

Our work spans three focus areas:

Societal Systems: Understanding how communities, institutions, and relationships shape the challenges we face

Ecological Futures: Field-based inquiry into human-animal relationships, biodiversity, and environmental action

Emerging Technologies: Critical and creative engagement with AI, digital tools, and their role in learning and public life

Through workshops, field projects, toolkits, and collaborative programmes, the Centre connects research with pedagogy and academia with the wider world.

Centre Head

Prof. Dinesh Kumar Chandrasekaran
Associate Professor,
School of Design & Innovation, RV University