Brent is an ecologist working to improve environmental health at numerous scales and scopes. He is known internationally, for his work in creating innovative and iconic projects that bring ecological systems thinking to architecture and urban infrastructure engineering issues. In 2008, Brent started Hyphae Design Laboratory (www.hyphae.net), a research, design and engineering firm dedicated to bridging the gap between rigorous scientific research and its absorption into built environment through r&d, research translation and policy change. Brent also co-founded with community justice organizers an research and advocacy project called Urban Biofilter that promotes innovative approaches to bioremediation of air, water and soil in communities with severe environmental injustice issues.

Much of Hyphae’s work has focused on the potential of proactive ecological engineering of at the buildings and urban ecosystem scale to improve human health. In addition to translating innovative science into actualized urban projects, Hyphae conducts significant grant funded research at nonprofit, state, federal, and academic scales. Current projects include a stusying air biofiltration systems and research partnership with The Envirome Institute, NIEH and TNC, to conduct a clinical trial evaluating the he impacts of urban greening on cardiovascular health.

Brents is a regular speaker at architecture, planning, public health and infrastructure related conferences. His work has been featured at Venice Biennial, sfMOMA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, as well as publications like the New York Times, Forbes, Wired, Dwell, Landscape Architecture Magazine, as well as academic journals.