Professor Ricardo Gomes has been a faculty member in the Design and Industry (DAI) Department at San Francisco State University for nearly 25 years. He was the Chair of the Department from 2002-2012. Prof. Gomes coordinates the Design Center for Global Needs and the Shapira Design Archive Project in the DAI Department. Prof. Gomes received his MFA in Industrial Design for Low-Income Economies from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received an M.A. in Architectural Building Technology from School of Architecture and Urban Planning at UCLA; and a BFA in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art.
Prof. Gomes was a Fulbright Research Scholar from 1984-1986 at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He conducted post-graduate research and product development of a container system for mobile health care delivery in East Africa from 1982 – 1987. In 1986, he was Program Coordinator of Design Projects in Developing Countries, at ENSCI in Paris, France. A premiere French government design school, where he directed student liaison projects with European international development agencies.
For over 30 years, Prof. Gomes has conducted keynote speeches, presentations, symposiums and workshops at universities and international conferences throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the U.S. In addition, he has served on juries related to Inclusive/Universal Design; Design for Social Responsibility; Global Design and Cultural Identity.