Dawn Danby Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Oakland, Ca, Us

Leading Spherical, a strategic design and integrative research studio working to regenerate the health and integrity of Earth’s living systems. Co-Founder alongside Chief Researcher Dr. David McConville. Our studio merges creative technology, software product development, media production, research, learning, and community engagement.We're currently developing the Living Infrastructure Field Kit to support ongoing efforts to accelerate the climate resilience of Los Angeles County (population 10M). Designed in collaboration with established community advocates, bioregional planners, game designers, policy analysts, economists, and hydrological modelers, the Field Kit illuminates the cascading benefits of integrated watershed management. It enables residents and decision makers explore the complex dynamics and hidden relationships between ecological health, economic justice, urban infrastructure, and community well-being in the context of a rapidly changing climate.

Oakland, Ca, Us

Spherical is a strategic design and integrative research studio supporting projects regenerating the health and integrity of Earth’s living systems. We work to catalyze a shift in perception of the critical roles humanity can play in increasing planetary health through the integration of ecology and technology.We've spent years working within ecological design, regenerative development, circular economics, placemaking, technology strategy, science education, and immersive media production.In parallel with co-leading projects, I dusted off some vintage MBA skills to establish systems for finance, operations, and HR. I built out all the operational structures for staffing and sustaining a remote team that grew to 13 (and eventually 18) FTEs, alongside dozens of contractors and advisors. https://spherical.studio

San Francisco, Ca, Us

XRStudio was a futuristic studio space providing mentorship, collaboration and equipment for 30 female + nonbinary people to develop work in machine learning and mixed reality. Spherical's research focused on ecological systems & women's health. Supported by Mozilla. http://xrstudio.co/

Montreal, Qc, Ca

The Institute for Urban Futures was an interdisciplinary research platform engaging ideas on futurism, speculative design, embedded community engagement, and site-responsive urban practices.​ As Urban Futurists in Residence, Spherical investigated the role of cities in the regeneration of Earth’s ecological commons.

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Launched strategic initiatives to transform design and engineering practice in service of ecological sustainability. Built and led high performing design, research and production teams, and served as a leading cross-industry domain expert.* Software Product Innovation: For manufacturing customers, led multiple efforts to optimize resource efficiency and greener materials selection through more effective simulation, deeper datasets, and improved UX.* Industry Strategy Leadership: Led strategic engagement on tackling sustainability across Autodesk’s diverse manufacturing and AEC industries.* Consulting Sales: Launched global initiative to serve Autodesk’s largest major corporate accounts through sales engagements, enabling Fortune 100 customers to use advanced technology to meet their environmental and climate goals.* Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing): Launched an open methodology for characterizing materials chemistry and hazards. Collaboration with Autodesk's Ember Hardware team, UC Berkeley’s Institute for Green Chemistry, and The Biomimicry Institute. Results published in the Yale University Journal of Industrial Ecology.* Engineering & Design Education: Created a free open platform for learning high performance architecture, design and engineering practices. Reached 4M+ students and professionals worldwide. Certificate program completed by hundreds of young architects. Materials all in Creative Commons, now hosted by Venturewell and supported by the National Science Foundation at https://sustainabilityworkshop.venturewell.org/* Open Source Hardware & Design: Led an expert design-advisor team at the POC21 Innovation Camp (France) for prototyping open source hardware projects in advance of COP21. Reached 10M+ novice maker-designers through various challenge programs tackling materials utilization; greener electronics in China; and energy efficiency and renewables in Mexico* Lead singer in the Autodesk house band

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Taught the DMBA Sustainability Studio, guiding students to create viable, ecologically and socially responsible businesses.

Curator and co-creator of Reorbit, an experiment in social media theatre, re-animating literary and historical characters. Writing over Twitter, our first cast included one dead rock star, a tragic literary figure, a grand eccentric and a Russian cat. The project was covered in the BBC, the Atlantic, San Francisco Magazine, New York Public Media.

Ecological design strategy consulting for clients including Unilever, Autodesk, BSSP for Mini Cooper, Channel 4 (UK), Sustainable Minds. Developed Beeline, a virtual marketplace for optimizing local food distribution, which merged with Portland-based Ecotrust’s Food Hub.

Us

Worldchanging was an early online platform for solutions-based journalism. Our premise was that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. I was on the founding team and wrote about design, sustainable products and systems, design for development, materials innovations, technology and culture.

Co-designed the Nature Bridge, a tree-covered pedestrian overpass on the USA-Canada border, with Noel Harding Studio and Stantec Engineering. Managed design process with community, clients & partners, created drawings & renderings, directed 3D CAD modeling. Provided curation and project management for large urban environmental projects, including: Green Corridor’s urban redevelopment of Windsor, Ontario’s international crossing; Ft. Lauderdale Airport's Public Art Master Plan; and the Toronto Zoo’s liveARTs public art festival.

Windsor, Ontario, Ca

Co-led the Green Corridor interdisciplinary design course with artists Noel Harding and Rod Strickland. Led the Ecohouse retrofit project, transforming a postwar residence into a learning lab for innovation.

Developed and built custom modern, handcrafted wood furniture for the high-end market. Apprenticed to master woodworker Mark Maček at Splinter Group.

Worked on the design/build team of Greenforms, a full-scale flexible building system prototype for the US Dept. of Energy. Refined CMPBS’ communications methodology on ecological footprinting and resource mapping. Created brand identity and web experience.

Bfa, Industrial Design

Mba, Sustainable Business