Rohan Patankar (he/him) is an architect, urban sociologist turned design researcher, strategist, and connector interested in the futures of health, equity, and belonging.

About

I apply design thinking and co-creation approaches in the context of health systems strengthening, organisational transformation, and cultural and social impact.

Since 2019, I have been a senior design researcher and strategist at Quicksand, a leading design thinking & innovation consultancy based in India where I have worked on projects on a range of themes including mental health, gender intentionality, and humanitarian work, with clients such as the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, IDEO, USAID MCGL, Women in Global Health, Médecins Sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, and Girl Effect. I have been leading the facilitation design practice at Quicksand: anchoring communities of practice, leading design sprints and co-creation processes, as well as participatory foresight.

I have an education in architecture from SPA, Delhi and in urban sociology from the LSE, London. In 2010, I co-founded Delhi Dallying, a walking tour company project to engage with the many layers of the city.

If you’re working towards futures where health systems, cities, and societies work for all, I’d love to have a chat with you.

Key skills

  • Facilitation Design
  • Design Research & Strategy
  • Speculative Design & Participatory Foresight
  • Project Management and Business Development
  • Cultural Research & Curation

Work experience

2023 – presentSenior Manager & Facilitation Design Lead @ Quicksand Design Studio Bengaluru

Led the development of the Gathering Framework for facilitation, led a design sprint for Girl Effect and a co-creation process for Women in Global Health. Led the content strategy for Crea to create the Centre of Inclusive WASH.

2019 – 2023Senior Associate (Design Research & Strategy) @ Quicksand Design Studio Delhi

Managed a string of organisational change consultation processes for Médecins sans Frontières using participatory foresight. Anchored Mindscapes, Bengaluru as a Cultural Research Fellow. Facilitated CORE Net (COVID-19 Research Network) and co-anchored GenderCollab for the Gates Foundation.

2017Architect in Residence @ Sensing Local Lab Bengaluru

Worked on programming the Navalur Forest Park on the outskirts of Dharwad for Selco Foundation and the Forest Department.

2016Urban Design Architect @ Centre for Green Mobility Delhi

Worked on sustainable transport initiatives in the Dwarka sub-city, including public bicycle sharing (PBS) schemes and last-mile connectivity solutions that connect to metro stations for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

2015Architect @ Co.Lab Design Delhi

Worked on architecture for residential projects and the design for a school boundary wall.

2013 – 2014Architect & Strategist @ Arch i Platform Delhi

Worked on developing and delivering the public engagement plan for the DELHI.2050 project and worked on the renovation design for the Kathmandu Office of GiZ.

2010 – 2016Co-founder @ Delhi Dallying Delhi

Wrote blog posts, conceived and delivered a number of walking tours about contemporary culture in Delhi, led customised commissioned travel itineraries for clients such as NYU and the Office of the President of India. Curated the first two editions of the Delhi Walk Festival in 2016.

Highlights

  • 2022–2023 Wellcome Trust Cultural Research Fellow for Mindscapes, an international cultural programme that aims to support a transformation in how we understand, address and talk about mental health.
  • 2020 SOIF Next Generation Foresight Practitioner Asia Special Award with Aditya Prakash, for initiating the HUM Futures Lab.
  • 2016 Conceived and curated the first two editions of the Delhi Walk Festival, with support of Delhi Tourism.
  • 2016 Featured among the top 50 emerging architects of India by Architect & Interiors Magazine.
  • 2015: Initiated fundraiser Art for Nepal, selling travel-drawing merchandise to raise GBP 2200 for transitional shelters after the Nepal earthquake.
  • 2013: Teaching Artist with Music Basti, a life skills education initiative for underprivileged children in Delhi.
  • 2003: Represented India as a cultural performer at the Arctic Arts Festival, Harstad, Norway.
  • 2002 National Bal Shree Honour for excellence in Creative Performance (music) awarded by President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Work Details

AreaYear / TypeDescription
Implementation Research & Strategy2023Led perinatal mental health research in rural and tribal Madhya Pradesh to map the perinatal journey and improve public health service delivery.
Qualitative Research2023Interviewed city officials on COVID-19 response to create a Health Resilience Playbook for administrators managing health crises.
Scoping Research2021Six-month scoping for Elrha's Skills & Capabilities team to define competencies for innovation managers in the humanitarian sector.
HCD Research2019Research for Ipas Development Foundation to improve experiences and outcomes of self-use medical abortion in Bihar, India.
Framework Design2024 – presentDeveloping "Gathering," a framework at Quicksand for how we convene, collaborate, and work through differences.
Design Sprint2024Led a four-day sprint with Girl Effect India to design an intervention strategy reaching 9–14-year-old girls for HPV vaccination.
Co-creation Processes2023 – 2024Eight-month online consultation with 90+ Women in Global Health members to co-create mandate, theory of change, and organisational model.
Implementation Research2023Four-month consultation with 20+ global experts to define a theory of change and prioritized research questions for improving perinatal mental health in LMICs for USAID M-CGL.
Communities of Practice2022 – 2024Co-anchored GenderCollab with Oxford Policy Management to advance gender intentionality in Indian health systems.
Collaboration for Preparedness2022 – 2023Facilitated the Indian Alliance for Public Health Preparedness, a multi-sector collaboration on environmental surveillance and health resilience.
Community of Practice2020 – 2022Facilitated CORE Net (COVID-19 Research Network) supported by the Gates Foundation for social science and health researchers.
Learning & Exchange2023Led a three-day retreat in Senegal for five International Rescue Committee country teams working on acute malnutrition (GiveWell-supported).
Participatory Foresight2021Six-month consultation with MSF South Asia leadership on "What will MSF South Asia look like in 2030?"
Speculative Fiction2020 – 2021Created "Humanitarian Spring 2030" for the Norwegian Refugee Council Innovation Service, exploring future humanitarian disruptions.
Speculative Design Workshop2019Led an 80-person workshop at MSF Co-days Amsterdam on the future of Médecins sans Frontières as a global organisation.
Cultural Research & Curation2022 – 2023Cultural Research Fellow for Wellcome Trust Mindscapes Bengaluru; anchored artist-researcher community, facilitated "Mental Health & the City," and curated the Mindscapes International Summit.

Education

YearInstitutionProgrammeNotes
2017 – 2018London School of EconomicsMSc City Design and Social Science (Merit)Chevening Scholar;
Norman Foster Foundation Scholarship (MIT Media Lab "On Cities" Workshop);
Co-founded FoUL magazine.
2008 – 2013School of Planning & Architecture, New DelhiB.Architecture (Merit)NOKIA-OXFAM Create to Inspire Fellowship for Moving Delhi Project;
Co-founded Delhi Dallying.

Design inspired by Björn Rust