David Rousell

Dr David Rousell is Associate Professor of Regenerative Education at RMIT, where he teaches and researches across the areas of education, art and design, philosophy, geography, and cultural studies. He is a Fellow of the Regenerative Futures Institute, core member of the Centre for Urban Research (CUR) and Digital Ethnography Research Centre (DERC), and founding convener of the Local Alternatives research platform and Critical Forest Studies Collaboratory. 

For the past decade David's academic career has focused on creatively reshaping the education and cultural sectors in response to the urgency of climate action. His collaborative research with diverse educational communities 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 and design (history, theory, practice). Through research and teaching that values the situated knowledges and experiences of educational communities, David's research has led to significant social impact through co-designed transformations of schools, universities, galleries and museums, urban and regional municipalities, businesses, and cultural organisations.

David's recent projects have focused on re-imagining the learning infrastructures of cities in response to the climate and biodiversity crisis, ubiquitous digitisation, and the urgencies of decolonising public institutions. This work has brought public attention to the diverse impacts of planetary changes in the lives of children, young people, and communities through the co-production of films, installations, exhibitions, alternative curriculum frameworks, and digital platforms in Australia and internationally. David has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books and 8 edited special issues 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 books include Immersive Cartography and Post-Qualitative Inquiry (Routledge, 2021), Doing Rebellious Research (Brill, 2022, w/ Pamela Burnard, Elizabeth Mackinlay, & Tatjana Drogovic), Posthuman Research Playspaces: Climate Child Imaginaries (Routledge, 2023, w/ Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles), and Process and Place: A field guide to speculative research (Routledge, in press, w/ Nina Williams and Tara Elisabeth Jeyasingh). 

 

David's research has attracted over $2.5 million in national and international research funding. Currently funded projects include: 

 

Making Histories: Young people as visual historians of changing cities (ARC Discovery, 2026-2029)

Atmospheres of Wellbeing: Improving Awareness and Action Towards Better Air Quality (ARC Discovery, 2026-2029) Disaster Ready Schools: Strengthening Australia's Education Sector (ARC Linkage, 2026-2029) Effectiveness of Child Participation on Climate Change Actions in Somalia  (NORAD/Save the Children, 2025-2026) Navigating Education and Work Futures Under Polycrisis (Strategic Innovation Fund, Vietnam and ACMI, 2024-2026) Regenerating and Revaluing Urban Forests at Scale (High Impact Partnership Initiatives, Strategic Innovation Fund, 2025-2026) Capture: Removing CO2 Together (Strategic Innovation Fund, Platform Activation, 2026-2027)

 

Recent Reports, Position Papers, and Frameworks include: 

Regenerating and Revaluing Urban Forests, 2026, RMIT University 

Floods + Me Education Framework, 2026, SCU

Planetary Pedagogies: Position Paper, 2025, Planetary Civics Inquiry

Future Publics: Carbon, 2024, RMIT University 

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/)
- Climate Change and Me (http://www.climatechangeandme.com.au/)
- Youth Carbon Cultures (https://carbon-cultures.com/)

Professional associations:
- 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 Works 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, NGV partnership. 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).