2017 Traveling Fellowship for Architecture, Design, and Urban Design
The Ephemeral City: Hybrid Territories of the Formal and Informal Megacity

Sean O’Brien
University of Texas at Austin

received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture Studies with High Distinction in 2013 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving his Master of Architecture in December 2016. While at the University of Texas, O’Brien worked as a research assistant to Professor Michael Benedikt, focusing on the spatial theory of isovist fields. He received the faculty award for Design Excellence for top projects in urban design and architecture, the UT Travel Scholarship, and the Boone Powell Family Prize in Urban Design. O’Brien aspires to continue investigating how spatial agency and public engagement can foster equity in the built environment through both practice and teaching. Upon completing this fellowship, he plans to attain licensure and to enter practice focused on local urban development and public space. Currently, he is an architectural designer at Andersson Wise Architects in Austin.