Alija Blackwell

Alija Blackwell is a researcher and creative technologist working across the social impact sector to advance equity. Alija currently works with the Natural Resources Defense Council as a Transition Design Fellow to center historically marginalized communities in just transition efforts through participatory planning and speculative design. Alija is also piloting a culturally responsive learning intervention about children’s digital rights using interactive game design as a member of the US Department of Education Office of Educational Technology’s Digital Literacy Accelerator. Alija received a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia with certificates in Machine Learning Engineering, Digital Media, Emerging Tech Ethics, and Data Science. In their creative practice, Alija enjoys circus arts and building immersive experiences.