Shannon Van Zandt is a professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and a senior fellow with TAMU's Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center. Van Zandt’s research has created a niche within the housing and disaster fields that focuses on how the spatial distribution of residential land affects exposure, impact, and consequences from natural disasters, particularly for socially vulnerable populations. She maintains an active research agenda, having been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on external grants from funders, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Department of Housing abd Urban Development. Her research has been cited more than 3,000 times and is included in essential texts within her discipline. Van Zandt is also active within the community, advocating for issues that are important to her. She serves on the board of Texas Housers, one of the nation's premiere housing advocacy groups, and has testified before the Texas State Legislature many times on issues related to disaster recovery.