William Sherman is the Lawrence Lewis, Jr. Professor of Architecture, Associate Vice President for Research in Design, Arts and Humanities, and the Founding Director of OpenGrounds at the University of Virginia. As an architect and educator, his teaching and design research examine dynamic cultural and environmental processes in architectural design, ranging in scale from human physiology to the city to global energy flows. His work explores the intersection of these processes with the cultural frameworks that inform the design of buildings and cities, with a particular focus on emerging spaces and institutional transformation. His design work, ranging in scale from furniture to communities, has been published internationally and has received numerous awards. In 2012, Sherman founded OpenGrounds, a network of places and programs that inspire creative research at the confluence of technology, science, the arts and humanities. He has lectured widely on the concept of OpenGrounds and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance for the Arts at Research Universities.