Matthew Browning

Co-Director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Clemson University

Matt co-directs the Virtual Reality & Nature Lab with Dr. Olivia McAnirlin and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at Clemson University. Outside Clemson, he is Scientific Advisor for NatureQuant, Chief Scientific Officer for the Ecological Medicine Society, Co-Author of The Nature Record, and Co-Founder of Clemson Nature Rx. He was previously faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; park ranger in Utah, Iowa, and North Carolina (Mt. Mitchell, Grandfather); and Natural Leader with the Children & Nature Network. He holds degrees in Forestry, Environmental Conservation, and Biology from Yale University, Virginia Tech, and Oberlin College & Conservatory, respectively.

Matt has many passions related to nature and health. He cares about linguistic precision, measurement, and dosage; follows the 3+30+300 rule; is intrigued by nature familiarity, preferences, and connectedness; geeks out on consumer tech to simulate nature; is inspired by Dr. McAnirlin’s Tandem VRTM; is building up economic arguments including nature supporting the American Dream and reducing healthcare costs; collaborates on Green Heart Louisville; remains excited by the microbiome; chases nature beyond green and blue; and can’t wait to conduct messaging testing with Dr. McAnirlin through their NHA Chapter. His earlier work has included studying nature during the COVID-19 pandemic, managing nature play areas, linking green schoolyards to standardized test scores, and the “green paradox” in Appalachia. Matt keeps toes dipped into natural hazards and extreme weather, having co-founded the academic startup ForeReady XR, as well as informal education at botanical gardens, museums, and nature centers.

Outside work, Matt is blessed to be a father of two children and husband to his wonderful wife, Lara. He is grateful to live in a nature-rich neighborhood where he walks his kids to school and can work outdoors at his standing desk. He attributes his love of nature to his parents, Connie and Robert Mutel, and the woodlands of southeastern Iowa.