Mona has a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Design from the University of Dundee and BA in Crafts from the Tehran Art University. She specialises in the area of co-design and since joining Schumacher College in 2014 she has helped develop and facilitate the College’s Ecological Design Thinking programme. She has taught and collaborated on a range of interdisciplinary research projects ranging from examining the integration of technology and craft to design strategies to reduce crime with Tayside Police in Scotland.
Mona’s PhD research was on the subject of embodied knowledge where she integrated her craft background with design and psychology. Her doctorate thesis is an exploration of the role of unmediated relationship with the environment in the evolution of human consciousness. Mona is particularly interested in the design-led approach to community empowerment. Her latest research in Tanzania, with colleagues from University of Plymouth involves co-designing strategies with the Maasai communities to improve their social resilience in response to the impacts of climate change on their regions.
Jali-arhdi - Care for the Land : Socio-ecological resilience to soil erosion driven by extreme events: past, present and future challenges in East Africa. You can read about her work here.
You can read her paper on the process of teaching through lived experience 'A reflection on learning crafts as a practice for self-development' here.