Richard Cawood is a UK-born creative professional, educator, and portrait photographer based in Dubai. With a background that spans the US, Europe, and the Middle East, he blends decades of experience in media production, design, and education into everything he does.

After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), Richard began his teaching career at the university’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). During the summers of 2006 and 2007, he taught at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich as part of the “Exploring New Media: Technology, Economics, and Communication Sciences” summer program. He later led faculty innovation initiatives at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles before relocating to Dubai, where he now teaches across foundations, design, animation, and multimedia programs at Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Enterprises (CACE).

Richard’s creative work includes collaborations with global brands like Nike, Virgin America, and Hulu, as well as large-scale digital projection designs for opera productions in the US and Europe. As a photographer, he’s known for his “emotive minimalism”—portraits that capture quiet intensity and human connection. His work has been recognized with awards and featured by ZEISS on their LensPire blog.

Beyond the classroom and studio, Richard has contributed to creative communities as part of the CreativeMornings Dubai chapter and continues to explore the evolving role of AI in art and design.

Learn more or connect on LinkedIn.