Aidan Rowe

Background

About Aidan Rowe

Aidan Rowe is the Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Art & Design at the University of Alberta (Canada), where he teaches design theory, research and practice to undergraduate and graduate students. He is active in design, consulting and research work in the areas of design pedagogy; design for health; critical design; information visualization; and the role that culture, collaboration and communication play in design, in and for, the 21st century. He has presented his research, taught design and curated exhibitions in North America, Europe and Asia. His research and design work has been documented in numerous publications and exhibitions. He has held a variety of leadership and administrative positions including Acting Associate Dean (Student Programs: Teaching & Learning), Faculty of Arts (2018); Associate Chair (Undergraduate), Department of Art & Design (2016–17); Coordinator, Visual Communication Design (2011–13); and Coordinator of Fundamentals (2014–19). His research centres on three related areas: design education; curatorial design practice; and, design for health. His pedagogic research focuses on the improvement of design education. Taking a critical look at how design is taught has driven much of his research and he has examined how design education can both reflect the new possibilities afforded to design and help prepare designers to be the active and engaged citizens needed currently. He has curated and designed exhibitions in Canada, Korea, Japan, Germany and the UK. His research in design health has focused on the possibilities and roles for design to contribute to the improvement of the human condition. Professor Rowe's work has been recognized with a variety of university and civic awards. He has served as the Chair of the Edmonton Public Art Committee, a member of the Edmonton Design Committee and has also served as a design consultant/evaluator for design programs and as a tenure reviewer.