J. Drew Lanham

Andre 3000 once rapped that certain words, including “genius” get thrown around too lightly. But when you’re a legit McArthur Foundation Fellow, i.e., a recipient of the org’s $800,000 “genius grant,” the description is well-earned. The Clemson University wildlife biologist has one of those, awarded for his work as an author focused on naturalism and conservation. Specifically, Lanham is considered a pioneer for addressing how those topics impact Black people and communities, who generally aren’t considered a group that’s heavily invested in naturalism but who also face grim consequences of climate change and ecological instability.