Renata M. Leitao, PhD is a graphic designer and social justice-focused design researcher with eleven years of experience in collaborative projects with Indigenous and marginalized communities. Notably, she conducted a five-year (2012-2017) Participatory Action Research project in collaboration with members of the Atikamekw Nation (Quebec, Canada). Her primary research interest has been the empowerment and self-determination of Indigenous communities, which might be enhanced and supported by the practice of graphic design. Currently, her research activities focus on epistemic decolonization, developing new ways to represent, record, code, and share knowledge produced by marginalized communities. In 2019, she launched, as co-chair, the DRS Pluriversal Design SIG, an international research network that aims to highlight multiple perspectives in design, especially from those oppressed by and excluded from mainstream narratives.

To learn more visit: www.human.cornell.edu/people/rml273.