Dr. Marccus Hendricks has been promoted with tenure to associate professor of urban studies and planning by the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (MAPP+D). A sought-after national voice in environmental justice, Hendricks’ work exposes the massive infrastructure crisis plaguing disinvested communities, particularly communities of color. He brings extensive, on-the-ground expertise in flood-related impacts on health, economics, racial justice and public safety, mobilizing the tools that engage and give agency to marginalized communities.
“Dr. Hendricks' has made a huge impact on our community through his teaching, research and service,” said Dr. Dawn Jourdan, Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. “His work embodies the mission and values of both the university and MAPP+D.”
Hendricks is the director of UMD’s Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) lab and is an affiliate with UMD’s Center for Disaster Resilience, the National Center for Smart Growth and the Environmental Finance Center. He was selected as one of 50 emerging leaders or “Fixers” in the 2021 Grist 50. Hendricks was recently appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB), the only member to specialize in aspects of the built environment, and was named to Springer Nature’s inaugural U.S. Research Advisory Council (USRAC). His expertise is regularly featured in regional and national media, including NPR, Scientific American and CNN. Hendricks has worked on research projects related to infrastructure, sustainability, public health and disasters, which have been funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Hendricks is a founding fellow of the William Averette Anderson Fund, the first national interdisciplinary organization working to increase the number of underrepresented persons of color in the field of disaster research, practice and pedagogy, where he currently serves on the board. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science and a Master of Public Health, both from Texas A&M University, and completed his undergraduate work at the University of North Texas. He joined the University of Maryland in 2017.
Read more in his biography.