Shannon Van Zandt

Shannon Van Zandt is a professor and serves as interim head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. 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 (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Her research has been cited more than 1,000 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 the Texas Low-Income Housing Information Service, as well as the advisory committee of Texas Sea Grant, and has testified before the Texas State Legislature many times on issues related to disaster recovery. She currently serves as region three representative and track-chair for the Housing and Community Development track for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. She serves as chair of the University Programs Committee of the Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Division of the American Planning Association, and is also a member of the American Institute for Certified Planners.