J. Marshall Shepherd

James Marshall Shepherd is an American meteorologist, professor at the University of Georgia's Department of Geography, director of the university's atmospheric sciences program, and 2013 president of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). In 2020 he was awarded the AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science.

Early life and education Shepherd grew up in Canton, Georgia, where he first became interested in meteorology in the sixth grade. He had planned to do a science project about bees, but decided to do it about the weather instead after he discovered he was allergic to bees. He received his bachelor's (in 1991), master's (in 1993), and Ph.D. (in 1999) degrees in physical meteorology from Florida State University (FSU), and was the first African-American person to receive a Ph.D. in meteorology from the university. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Iota Delta chapter at Florida State in 1988.

Scientific career Shepherd initially worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a research meteorologist for twelve years. He then joined the University of Georgia's department of geography in 2006. He served on the NOAA Science Advisory Board. Shepherd is a contributor to both Forbes and Weather Underground. Shepherd served as the President of the American Meteorological Society in 2013.

Views Shepherd has written that African Americans may be more vulnerable to the effects of global warming, such as heat-related deaths. He has also spoken out about the United States federal government shutdown of 2013, and has argued that it significantly delayed research into the use of global climate models in the United States, and that it also prevented members of the National Weather Service (NWS) from attending the National Weather Association (NWA)'s annual conference.

Television appearances Shepherd has appeared on the Today Show and Larry King Live, and, since July 2014, has hosted "Weather Geeks", a talk show airing on the Weather Channel. He also appeared on Face the Nation in 2014.

Awards In 2004, Shepherd received a NASA Presidential Early Career Award. In 2014, he received a Media Achievement Award from the Association of American Geographers. In 2020 he was awarded the AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science. the National Academy of Engineering in one year. Shepherd was selected as SEC Professor of the year in 2022. In January 2026, Shepherd was awarded the USG Regents Professor title, awarded to exemplary faculty whose scholarship is nationally and internationally recognized.