Sean Lewis is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, dually affiliated with the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) and the Amsterdam Centre for Urban History (ACUH).

Under the supervision of Professor Tuna Tasan-Kok (AISSR) and Professor Tim Verlaan (ACUH), Sean's doctoral project explores the post-war rise in institutional financialization and the impacts this has had on the physical campus environment and university property development, over time. Titled The University as the New Asset Class, Sean's research is focused on the intersection of real estate, history, finance and urban planning.

Prior to UvA, Sean received his Bachelor's in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and his Master's in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, he also obtained a Degree Certificate in Real Estate Development from the Wharton School of Business.

Professionally, Sean is a commercial, residential and institutional real estate developer. Presently working as the Director of Real Estate for Columbia University in New York City, Sean collaborates on property development and portfolio management projects on behalf of the university. Prior to his role at Columbia, Sean was a Director at the LeFrak Organization, a property firm headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, where he focused primarily on the development and asset management of the 300-acre Newport project, a mixed-use brownfield waterfront redevelopment site in Jersey City, New Jersey. Before joining LeFrak, Sean was an Associate/Assistant Project Manager within Jones Lang LaSalle's Project and Development Services group, based out of their Washington, DC offices. Sean started his career as an Analyst for The Concord Group, a boutique real estate consultancy headquartered in Newport Beach, California, where he focused on residential portfolio valuation.