Dr. Deyanira Nevarez Martinez has a Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy with an emphasis in Chicano/Latino Studies from the University of California, Irvine. She is currently a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University.

Her research focuses on the role of the state in informal and precarious housing arrangements, such as the colonias of the US-Mexico border and homelessness. Her recent work has explored the nuances of Latinx homelessness and a major theme in her work is the criminalization of poverty.