Kanaka Raghavan

Campus Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University Dubai

Speaker

Kanaka Raghavan is a designer, educator, and researcher whose practice explores new ways of engaging with graphic design. She is a Senior Lecturer and Campus Programme Coordinator at Middlesex University Dubai. She is also a member of the Dubai Lynx Academic Advisory Board.

Before entering academia, Kanaka worked in architecture and as a freelance graphic designer, managing projects across India, Barcelona, and Dubai. Originally from New Delhi, her experiences studying in Barcelona and teaching in Dubai have shaped a distinctive approach to design—one deeply informed by her South Asian heritage and international perspective.

Kanaka is currently pursuing a PhD in Design and Visual Communications at the University of the Arts London. Her research, titled Decolonising Design in Education and Practice in the Context of the UAE, focuses on decolonising design practice, rethinking design education, and advancing perspectives beyond dominant Eurocentric traditions.

Across her teaching, research, and creative practice, Kanaka seeks to challenge established conventions, initiate transformative conversations, and create meaningful, lasting impact.