David Rousell

Dr David Rousell is Associate Professor of Regenerative Education at RMIT, where he teaches and researches in the areas of climate justice, regenerative art and design, and education futures. He is a core member of the Centre for Urban Research (CUR) and the Digital Ethnography Research Centre (DERC) at RMIT, and founding convener of the Critical Forest Studies Collaboratory. David is also a Visiting Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University and adjunct Associate Professor at Southern Cross University's Sustainability, Arts, and Environment in Education (SEAE) research centre.

For the past decade David's academic career has focused on creatively reshaping the education sector in response to the urgency of climate change. His collaborative research with children and young people has established an international evidence base for creative, transdisciplinary, and climate-responsive education across formal and informal learning contexts. This work has led to the development of new theoretical and methodological approaches at the nexus of environmental philosophy (ontology, ethics, aesthetics, politics), environmental education (pedagogy, curriculum, design), and the environmental arts (history, theory, practice). Through research and teaching approaches that value the knowledges and experiences of educational communities, David's research has led to significant social impact through co-designed transformations in schools, universities, galleries and museums, urban and regional municipalities, businesses, and cultural organisations.

David's recent projects have focused on collectively re-imagining cities in response to the onset of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and ubiquitous technologies at planetary scale. This work has brought public attention to the diverse impacts of planetary changes in the lives of children and young people through the co-production of films, installations, exhibitions, alternative curriculum frameworks, and digital platforms in Australia and internationally. David has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books across a range of fields, including environmental education; cultural geography; ecological philosophy; environmental art, architecture, and design; childhood and youth studies, decolonial studies; multispecies inquiry and the posthumanities. His recent books include Immersive Cartography and Post-Qualitative Inquiry (Routledge, 2021), Doing Rebellious Research (Brill, 2022, co-edited with Pamela Burnard, Elizabeth Mackinlay, & Tatjana Drogovic), and Posthuman Research Playspaces: Climate Child Imaginaries (Routledge, 2023, co-authored with Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles).

More information about David's creative research projects can be found at:

- Critical Forest Studies Collaboratory (www.criticalforestlab.com) 
- Local Alternatives (http://www.localalternatives.org/)
- States and Territories (http://www.statesandterritories.org/)
- Climate Change and Me (http://www.climatechangeandme.com.au/)
- Youth Carbon Cultures (https://carbon-cultures.com/)

Professional interests:
- Associate Editor, Australian Journal of Environmental Education

- Responsible Practice lead, School of Education 

- Co-lead of the Climate Change Research Network (CCR-Net) and CO2 Removal Network 
- Lead for the School of Education's 'Climate Change and Sustainable Education Futures' research theme 
  
Creative Outcomes and Exhibitions:
- Rousell, D., & Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, A. (2023). Climate Child Imaginaries. Multi-channel video installation of children's climate art and writing, part of the 'Wild Hope' exhibition at RMIT's Design Hub Gallery.

- Hussey-Smith, K., & Rousell, D. (2023). By the Birrarung. Exhibition co-created with children about their relationships with Indigenous sovereignty and more-than-human kinship along Birrarung river in Naarm (Melbourne). RMIT.  
- Hussey-Smith, K., & Rousell, D. (2022). Kids make change. Exhibition of children's art about climate change and social justice. Art in Public Gallery, RMIT.

- Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, A., Rousell, D., and Widjesinghe, T. (2022). Climate Action Adventure! Climate education and activism mobile app co-designed with young people. 
- Rousell, D., Trafi-Prats, L., Begum, R., de Freitas, E., (2019). Memories of the Future. Workshop, exhibition and screening of young people's urban film-making at Ausland Gallery, Berlin.
- Rousell, D., de Freitas, E., Trafi-Prats, L., Hohti, R. (2019). Remixing Thick Time. Exhibition at Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester UK, in collaboration with the Young Contemporaries (age 16-25).
- Rousell, D., Hohti, R., and Chalk, H. (2019). Inheriting the Anthropocene. Exhibition at Manchester Museum UK, in collaboration with the Young Adventurers (age 11-14).
- Rousell, D., and de Freitas, E. (2018). Superpositions. Exhibition at Birley Art Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, in collaboration with Z-artists (age 11-13).
- Rousell, D. (2017). Lures for Feeling: Selected works from the States and Territories project (2014-2016). Solo exhibition at the Summer Institute for Qualitative Research, Manchester Metropolitan University.
- Rousell, D., & St Clair, J. (2016). CubeWalk Soundtrail, Location-based audio walk and mobile application exploring stories of place from students and staff. Lismore campus, Southern Cross University.
- Rousell, D. (2015). CubeWalk. Permanent installation of climate-responsive artworks with accompanying map, walk, and conceptual framework. Lismore campus, Southern Cross University.
- Rousell, D., & Cutter-Mackenzie, A. (2015). Past Now Future. Curated traveling exhibition of children and young people's art, research and writing about climate change. 7 public libraries and galleries across NSW, Australia (10,000 + viewers).