Marcellus Caldas named University Distinguished Professor

By Abbigail Marshall

Division of Communications and Marketing

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Marcellus Caldas, professor and interim department head in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, has received the lifetime distinction of University Distinguished Professor — Kansas State University's highest academic title.

Born in the Brazilian Amazon, Caldas was profoundly shaped by witnessing deforestation firsthand in his region. Seeing the lasting impact environmental degradation had on many communities, a deep passion for environmental research and conservation was born.

As an environmental economic-geographer, Caldas' research — including topics such as land use and land cover change, environmental degradation, conservation, hazards and governance — seeks to identify key drivers of pressing natural issues while understanding the delicate balance between land and the communities that depend on it.

"To be recognized for my work feels like a full-circle moment. It is a reminder that where we come from can shape not only who we are but also what we dedicate ourselves to," Caldas said. "This title affirms something I have believed throughout my career; environmental conservation is not a peripheral concern — it is central to our survival and well-being."

Caldas' research papers have been featured in numerous prestigious publications, including Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, one of the field's primary flagship journals. He is also a senior member of the scientific steering committee for the Global Land Programme.

In addition to research, Caldas finds joy in building community, both on campus and within his field. He teaches courses across a range of topics, including GEOG 837: Political Ecology of Land Cover Change and GEOG 370: Environmental Justice, and was recognized as International Educator of the Year in 2013. Caldas also contributes to K-State through his service on Faculty Senate. Internationally, Caldas is highly cited in Latin America and has helped empower and influence a new generation of geographers focused on environmental degradation. These commitments have earned him multiple international honors, including the Enlaces Award from the Conference of Latin American Geographers and an election as a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"Looking back on my twenty years at K-State, the most meaningful and impactful aspects of my work have been the relationships I built both in and out of the classroom," Caldas said. "As a faculty member, nothing has been more rewarding than watching students grow, knowing that my work played a role in shaping their futures and working with my talented colleagues."

Read the collective announcement for the 2026 UDPs