Richard Cawood is a UK born creative, educator, and portrait photographer based in Dubai. He works where images, interfaces, and ideas collide, drawing on a career that has moved through the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), then began teaching at the university’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM). In 2006 and 2007 he spent his summers in Munich, teaching in the “Exploring New Media: Technology, Economics, and Communication Sciences” program at Ludwig Maximilian University. After that he led faculty innovation initiatives at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles before relocating to Dubai, where he now teaches foundations, design, animation, and multimedia in the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University.

Richard’s creative practice includes work with brands such as Nike, Virgin America, and Hulu, along with large scale digital projection design for opera productions in the US and Europe. As a photographer, he is known for a kind of emotive minimalism in his portraits, focusing on quiet intensity, precise light, and human connection. His work has received awards and has been featured by ZEISS on their LensPire blog.

Outside the classroom and studio, he has supported creative communities through involvement with CreativeMornings Dubai and is actively exploring how AI is reshaping art, design, and the future of creative work.

Learn more or connect on LinkedIn.