About

John Onyango is an associate professor of architecture who studies humane spaces and architectural designs that foster positive development outcomes, and promoting community engagement in those designs. He has been a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow since 2019.

Onyango’s work focuses on sustainability and takes a holistic, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approach to the creative practices at the building and urban design levels. His areas of expertise include architectural and building technology, the built environment and health, community building, and environmental psychology. His current research interests include understanding energy use in traditional buildings using simulation and biomimetic epidemiology, and the built environment and aging and wellbeing.

Onyango’s research encompasses community participation in designing urban environments that promote health and well-being, and examining the impacts of the design of indoor environments on health and well-being in developing countries. He also studies how to engage citizens in design participation, and collecting and analyzing data on indoor air quality and energy use to contribute to sustainable development and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Onyango has worked professionally as an architect in the United Kingdom, the United States and Kenya. He has a master of architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in architecture from the University of Glasgow.