J. Steven Picou is Professor of Sociology and Past Chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Picou received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and has held academic and research appointments at Ohio State University and Texas A&M University. Dr. Picou has research interests in environmental sociology, applied sociology and disasters.

He has published four books and over 100 articles and book chapters. Dr. Picou has received over two million dollars in grant funding since his appointment at the University of South Alabama from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, Center for Field Research, and the Rockerfeller Foundation, and in 2008 was the recipient of the William Foote Whyte Distinguished Career Award. He is currently directing a five-year project on community recovery from Hurricane Katrina funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2001, Dr. Picou received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Environment and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association.