The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Upstate New York has named Dennis Shelden as the new director for the school's Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE).

According to a press release announcing the selection, Shelden will head "a boundary-pushing organization at a critical moment for the future of the human-made environment" tasked with bringing together intellectual leaders in the worlds of architecture, science, and business "to collaborate on innovation and implementation of next-generation sustainable built environments."

The center maintains two locations, one in Troy where the Rensselaer is located, and another in Brooklyn. Text on the CASE website describes the work of the center as focused on accelerating "a more aggressively experimental process that leads to development of new systems that produce a paradigm shift in the way that our future cities metabolize energy, water, and resources."

Shelden comes to New York following a recent tenure at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he worked as an associate professor of architecture and as the director of the school's Digital Building Laboratory. While at Georgia Tech, Shelden also headed up the School of Architecture's doctoral program.

“Having a location in New York City means we are in the global epicenter of innovation in the built environment,” Shelden said. “I think CASE can be one of the most dynamic centers for innovation in the built environment on the planet. It can become this crucible of education, research, and industry engagement, where we bring together faculty, students, and building professionals to solve the challenges we face around the increasing footprint of humanity.”

Prior to his recent educational turn, Sheldon spent 17 years at Gehry Partners, where he co-founded a spinoff company, Gehry Technologies in 2002. Gehry Technologies is known widely for its pioneering work in "smart" digital design and parametric technologies and helped to lend logistical expertise to help deliver some of the world's most complex architectural projects over its12 year run. Gehry Technologies was acquired by Trimble in 2014.