Dr. Erica Ryherd is an Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where she specializes in engineering built environments that are conducive to healthy occupant outcomes. She is actively engaged in research linking healthcare environmental systems (e.g., acoustics, lighting, spatial layout) to patient and staff outcomes. This includes work in more than a dozen hospitals and a broad range of unit types including intensive care, emergency, operating, inpatient, and others. She has presented and published widely to engineering, architecture, and medical audiences on projects related to research-informed design of healthcare settings, including serving as a 2018 AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Masters Studio Webinar Speaker and a 2014 Center for Health Design Icons and Innovators Speaker. She recently received the 2017 Science Writing Award for Professionals in Acoustics from the Acoustical Society of America and a 2018 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 Award.