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Before coming to UNL in 2023, Van Den Wymelenberg was the Julie Neupert Stott Chair in Design, the director for the School of Architecture and Environment and the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Oregon’s College of Design. He was also a professor of architecture and previously served as interim head for the Department of Architecture. He founded and directed the Institute for Health in the Built Environment (IHBE) and directed the Biology and the Built Environment Center (BioBE Center) and the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) in Portland and Eugene, Oregon. From 2004-2015, Van Den Wymelenberg was a professor at the University of Idaho in Boise where he founded the Integrated Design Lab.

Research & Creative Work

His research and creative practices seek to facilitate integration amongst a broad network of researchers and practitioners on issues concerning health, comfort and sustainability to support human, community and planetary health. Since 2004, he has secured over $40M in research funding related to indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency from organizations such as the United States Economic Development Administration, National Science Foundation, United States Environment Protection Agency, United States Department of Energy, United States Department of Agriculture, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Garnering interest in the private sector, several companies including design and engineering firms, as well as larger corporations have also invested in Van Den Wymelenberg’s research including Nike, Microsoft, Siemens and Thermo Fisher Scientific. He has published three books, authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, and he has made 300 invited lectures.

Teaching Pedagogy

Van Den Wymelenberg believes as educators, we have a responsibility to our students to “do university different” to prepare future professionals with deep creative problem-solving skills, by sparking innovate through real-world community-engaged projects, and leveraging radical interdisciplinary expertise across the college, campus and community. While industry-engaged, practical and experiential pedagogy gains traction at universities across the country, the College of Architecture has practiced these principles since its inception. “At the college, we have what the allied professions seek and what the academy and society need. We are positioned to lead and inspire positive, meaningful and impactful change in the planning and design disciplines, across Nebraska and beyond.”

Our Values

At the College of Architecture we demand excellence, act with courage, practice empathy, look beyond, and inspire impact. We are committed to nourishing a culture within the college where everyone feels welcome. We live the mantra “every person and every interaction matters” and we strive that all members of our community “feel profoundly cared for.” This begins with treating every human with love, dignity and respect. We encourage diverse perspectives because we know better ideas that are more likely to gain traction emerge. We are committed to access and belonging and do not accept discrimination because upholding these ideals lift the human spirit, strengthen our college community and enrich the broader communities that we engage.