Emma Mendel

Emma Mendel is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment at Thomas Jefferson University, where she teaches Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture programs at the East Falls Campus in Philadelphia. Her work integrates landscape architecture with urban ecological networks and community engagement, focusing on infrastructural resilience through cultural knowledge systems.

Her educational background includes:

• Master of Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, Ecology from Harvard University
• Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Literary Studies from Rhode Island School of Design

Mendel's research centers on "ephemeral material infrastructures," examining how water systems intersect with local knowledge, cultural landscapes of First Nations, and disaster responses. She investigates how oral stories, folklore, and intergenerational narratives can inform infrastructural interventions for food sovereignty and drinking water access, particularly in post-disaster contexts.

Her significant recognitions include:

• 2023-24 Ian McHarg Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2019 Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Program Fellow
• 2018 Graham Foundation Grantee
• 2017 LA+ Imagination Competition Winner

Prior to her current position, Mendel served as a lecturer at the University of Virginia and practiced at leading firms including HOK, Janet Rosenburg Studio, and Nelson Byrd Woltz. Her research is supported by competitive grants that enable fieldwork on cultural infrastructure and community-based disaster mitigation strategies.