Geffel received his master’s in landscape architecture from UVA in 2013 and is currently at LND LAB, a landscape architecture practice that redirects maintenance and operations to socially activate and ecologically regenerate fallow landscapes. Geffel was a Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon where he founded the Fuller Initiative Land Lab, an award-winning and internationally recognized model of design research, education, and service. He has practiced professionally in the Pacific Northwest, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast Asia, with experience working on public urban landscapes, landscapes on structure, green infrastructure, and regional planning.
Geffel’s fellowship, which commences January 1, 2026, will last for one year. During this time, he will work with Morven Sustainability Lab (MSL). At MSL, Geffel will engage land managers and project interest holders to develop an adaptive management plan to aid in the property's conversion to regenerative agriculture. He will also work on an experimental landscape framework to allow the UVA community to perceive, imagine, discover, and test alternative sustainable futures.
“The foundation of my design consultancy was laid at Morven in 2012, when I was generously provided a field experiment site to study the adaptive management of fallow land,” said Geffel. “It's incredibly inspiring to see how the property has been used by students and faculty since then, and how land-based research has been woven into the mission of the Morven Sustainability Lab. I'm honored to return to my alma mater through the Environmental Institute’s program to support Morven's land managers in the property's conversion to regenerative agriculture, and to assist the MSL as they launch their strategic plan.”
In 2022, UVA senior leadership designated Morven as the university’s sustainability lab—a hub focused on strategic priorities in the order of environmental sustainability, food security and health, respecting cultural landscapes, and community engagement.
“We have long valued our partnership with the Morven Sustainability Lab,” said Karen McGlathery, director of the UVA Environmental Institute. “To have the opportunity to bring Michael [Geffel] to UVA to help implement the forward-thinking vision UVA leadership has for sustainability research is something we are excited to support.”
