Sean Burkholder

Sean Burkholder is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. He co-founded the Environmental Modeling Lab (EMLab) and the research/design practice Proof Projects, focusing on coastal landscapes and lake-based geographies. His work integrates adaptive management, environmental monitoring, and speculative design to address sediment dynamics and infrastructure challenges in dynamic coastal systems.

Key projects include the Healthy Port Futures initiative and Tidelands (Natural Infrastructure Innovation Project), emphasizing sediment reclamation and climate-resilient strategies. He has authored Five Bay Landscapes: Curious Explorations of the Great Lakes Region (2022) and is completing Lakemaker: Surveys, Stories, and Speculations of Held Water. His research explores the intersection of temporal experimentation, curiosity-driven methodologies, and collaborative environmental stewardship.

Teaching responsibilities include coordinating the first-semester design studio and delivering seminars on environmental modeling, counterfactual speculation, and coastal infrastructure. His work with the Dredge Research Collaborative highlights sediment as a unifying element in coastal management. Burkholder’s projects often bridge academic research, professional practice, and community engagement to foster innovative landscape solutions.