Yekang Ko joined the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) in Fall 2025 as an associate professor of landscape architecture. Ko also serves as the SEAS faculty director for Asian engagement. In this role, Ko will continue to lead the Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) as a co-director, strengthening collaborations with APRU and other Asia-based research and engagement initiatives, while also supporting student recruitment from Asia. 

The APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes program is a network of 21 universities across the Pacific Rim, where scholars, students and practitioners participate in conferences, research collaborations and field schools to tackle issues like biodiversity, energy and resilience. She invites SEAS faculty and students to join their key activities. Prior to joining SEAS, Ko was an associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon. She also held a joint appointment as a senior scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2022 to 2025.

Ko was drawn to SEAS’ interdisciplinary nature where U-M scientists, planners, designers and engineers work together side by side on environmental challenges to address climate change. 

“The school’s focus on climate action and evidence-based ecological design feels like a perfect fit for my work,” she says. “I’m excited about collaborating with amazing colleagues and students who care deeply about sustainability. SEAS has such a dynamic energy. It’s a place where new ideas can move quickly from research into practice.” 

Ko is looking forward to collaborating with the SEAS community to further sustainability. She describes landscape architecture as “an action-oriented field that connects science with real-world design and planning to make a positive impact.”

Ko, who grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and has worked across continents, finds inspiration in the collaborations that bring people together across different countries to solve tough problems. “I’ve seen how environmental challenges and solutions are deeply shaped by local culture and context,” she says. “This global perspective helps me recognize the value of place-based design while also connecting local innovations to broader sustainability goals around the world.” 

Her research focuses on how cities and landscapes can be designed to reduce energy consumption, generate renewable energy, enhance ecosystem services and advance environmental justice. She works to develop tools and strategies that show how thoughtful landscape planning and design can cool cities, lower energy demand, produce local green energy, support biodiversity, and promote equity in climate mitigation and adaptation. 

Her primary research focus is on renewable energy landscapes. She studies how cities and regions can effectively transition to clean energy, emphasizing methods that enhance ecosystem services and build local value. Her research centers on landscape-based deployment of solar, wind and transmission infrastructure, designing projects that are community-supported and deliver significant social and ecological co-benefits alongside energy generation. She welcomes motivated students interested in contributing to this research area.

In Winter 2026, Ko will be teaching Landscape Planning Analysis, the core studio course for the SEAS Master of Landscape Architecture degree. Additionally, she is in the process of planning interdisciplinary electives and seminars on Renewable Energy Landscapes and Urban Greening Equity. She aims to make learning hands-on and collaborative through partnerships and joint projects with local communities that allow students to “apply what they learn to real-world projects that have social and environmental impact.” 

She adds that “seeing students and community partners use co-design to create positive change is incredibly rewarding. It reminds me that landscape architecture can truly shape more just and resilient futures.”