Nipuni Siyambalapitiya (she/her)
Nipuni Siyambalapitiya is a Sri Lankan designer, design educator, researcher, and community facilitator currently residing in Cupertino, California. With roots in furniture and industrial design, she weaves physical exploration into her diverse work portfolio.
Nipuni co-founded XD Studio in 2020 to deliver design solutions to underserved communities, operating both in Sri Lanka and the USA. Her work, encompassing industrial design, digital service design, and communication strategies for mission-led entities, has garnered recognition from Yanko Design, Fast Company, and Phoenix Public Transit.
A skilled teacher, Nipuni takes pride in creating classrooms that are inclusive, safe, and joyful spaces of curiosity-driven learning. She taught at Arizona State University from 2020 to 2022 and continues to engage with students through guest lectures and personal mentoring. Her research delves into cultural object meanings, design decolonization, pluriversal design, and design futures. She collaborates with various professionals to address socio-technical challenges from a design perspective.
Nipuni is deeply passionate about creating communities that inculcate a strong sense of belonging and mutual care. In 2020, she co-founded a community of multidisciplinary designers and design enthusiasts called DesignAct to facilitate critical conversations on design within and from Sri Lanka. The community hosts regular public sessions related to design.