Sean Seyer

Sean Seyer is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Kansas, specializing in the history of technology, aviation history, and regulatory policy. His research examines how technological innovations shape societal norms and political structures, particularly in 20th-century America. He holds a PhD in History from Auburn University (2014).

His book Sovereign Skies: The Origins of American Civil Aviation Policy (2021) analyzes the struggle to regulate aviation within the U.S. federalist system post-WWI. Current projects explore aviation’s professionalization and the interplay between technology, legitimacy, and governance. He has received awards including the Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014–2015) and the Dave Abrams Pan American Research Grant (2017).

Key research areas include: aviation regulation, American political development, anti-monopoly policies, and the cultural impacts of technological change. His work bridges diplomatic, legal, and cultural history, addressing themes like technological control, federalism, and corporate-state relationships.

Grants include funding from the Pan Am Historical Foundation and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Association. He has presented widely at conferences such as the Society for Historians of Technology and the American Historical Association.