My name is Lucas Belury (He/Him/El) and I am a 2nd year PhD geography student at the University of Arizona. As a facilitator, researcher, and geographer I collaborate with Latinx communities in the US-Mexico Borderlands to collaboratively (re)shape knowledge systems to reflect their lived experiences.

My research challenges injustice and violence by centering testimonios or the testimonies of Latinx knowledge holders. Currently, I do this through two core projects: FLUJOS RGV (Flood Justice Utilizing Satellite Observation - Rio Grande Valley) & Latinidad in the Queer Archive.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

I have 9+ years of professional experience with community-based, national, and international mission-driven organizations, local and federal governments, and institutions of higher education. My research topics include racial and environmental justice, housing, and knowledge production. Outside of academia I have developed projects on equity assessment, impact measurement, curriculum development, grant writing, qualitative thematic coding, and survey instrument development. My research skills include Spanish/English translation, facilitation, archival research, qualitative coding, data visualization (Tableau, R, Stata, Python), inferential statistics, and remote sensing.

Accolades

● NASA Space Graduate Fellow

● Environment & Society Fellowship

● Carson Scholar

● Mellon Fronteridades Digital Humanities Fellow