diff --git a/ui/src/app/views/workspace-nav-bar/component.html b/ui/src/app/views/workspace-nav-bar/component.html
index 464b9e6f8e4..c61421db084 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/views/workspace-nav-bar/component.html
+++ b/ui/src/app/views/workspace-nav-bar/component.html
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     <button class="btn btn-primary btn-top">Notebooks</button>
   -->
   <span role="tooltip" aria-haspopup="true" class="tooltip tooltip-md tooltip-top-right">
-    <clr-button class="btn btn-primary btn-top" [class.awaiting-review]="awaitingReview" [disabled]="awaitingReview"
+    <clr-button class="btn btn-primary btn-top" [class.awaiting-review]="awaitingReview" [disabled]="awaitingReview || !writePermission"
             [routerLink]="['/workspace', wsNamespace, wsId, 'cohorts', 'build']">
       Cohort Builder
     </clr-button>
diff --git a/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.html b/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.html
index 667376f1dd9..200c33a886d 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.html
+++ b/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.html
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ <h2>{{workspace.name}}</h2>
       <div>
         <span role="tooltip" aria-haspopup="true" class="tooltip tooltip-md tooltip-top-left">
           <button *ngIf="tabOpen===Tabs.Cohorts" class="btn btn-primary btn-create"
-                  [class.awaiting-review]="awaitingReview" [disabled]="awaitingReview" (click)="buildCohort()">
+                  [class.awaiting-review]="awaitingReview" [disabled]="awaitingReview || !writePermission" (click)="buildCohort()">
             + Add a Cohort
           </button>
           <span *ngIf="awaitingReview" class="tooltip-content">Workspace is awaiting review</span>
diff --git a/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.ts b/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.ts
index 3e6312b4f30..d9969d8eefb 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/views/workspace/component.ts
@@ -369,4 +369,9 @@ export class WorkspaceComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     const asDate = new Date(this.workspace.lastModifiedTime);
     return asDate.toDateString();
   }
+
+  get writePermission(): boolean {
+    return this.accessLevel === WorkspaceAccessLevel.OWNER
+      || this.accessLevel === WorkspaceAccessLevel.WRITER;
+  }
 }