As a Partner at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Emily Mueller De Celis provides design and planning leadership across many of the firm’s most ambitious cultural and urban landscape projects. Trained as both an architect and a landscape architect, Emily is known for her interdisciplinary approach—integrating architecture, ecology, and urbanism to address complex design challenges. Her work is distinguished by a deep understanding of materials, site history, and community needs, resulting in landscapes that are technically refined, ecologically resilient, and emotionally resonant.

Since joining MVVA in 1999, Emily has played a central role in shaping a wide range of projects, from Wellesley College’s Master Plan and the Alumnae Valley Landscape Renewal to Manhattan’s Teardrop Park to Chicago’s The 606. More recently, she has led several climate-ready initiatives for Waterfront Toronto, contributing to the transformation of the city’s post-industrial waterfront into a vibrant and ecologically diverse district. Notable works include Corktown Common in the West Don Lands and Biidaasige Park at the newly naturalized Don River mouth. She is currently co-leading the reimagining of the YZD Runway in the Downsview neighborhood of Toronto.

Beyond her design work, Emily oversees day-to-day operations of MVVA’s Cambridge office. She serves on Toronto’s Waterfront Design Review Panel, is a member of the Wellesley Business Leadership Council, and supports hands-on STEAM education in the Boston area as a board member of CitySprouts.

Emily earned a BA from Wellesley College, a MArch from the University of Virginia, and a MLA from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. She has taught at RISD and lectured at Harvard, MassArt, and Wellesley College.