Hajira Qazi is a design researcher, instructor, and scholar with a Ph.D. in design from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) School of Design.

Dr. Qazi’s research and work investigate design’s role in the interplay between the social, political, spiritual, and material worlds. Although the design is often understood to manifest materially, she is fascinated by the more subtle impact of design—enacted in the immaterial and in-between—where bonds, actions, ideas, values, and beliefs are enabled or disabled, strengthened or weakened, by design. Her dissertation entitled “Design and the (Un)Making of Sacred Worlds” juxtaposes the traditional and modern worldview and the forms of worldmaking that result. Past work and research interests include participatory design, decolonization, and design for political change.

As a doctoral researcher at CMU, Dr. Qazi taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses, including “Research Methods for Design;” “Cultures,” a course that considers design through the lens of critical theory; and “Decoloniality: Past, Present, and Future.” She will rejoin CMU School of Design as an adjunct professor in Spring 2023.

In addition to teaching classes at the Deen Arts Foundation, Dr. Qazi is working on other projects that advance her research on the spiritual dimensions of design. She is currently based in Pittsburgh, USA.