U-M Regents Approve Promotion of John Marshall to Full Professor

John Marshall, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan. The promotion was formally approved by the U‑M Board of Regents on May 15, 2025.

Marshall is an artist, designer, researcher, and educator whose work critically examines the intersection of technology, society, and social justice. He was the founding director of the Master of Design (MDes) in Integrative Design program at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. His diverse practice spans public sculpture, interactive installations, strategic publications, curatorial projects, and participatory community engagements, all directed toward exploring how creative interventions can address precarity, equity, and complex urban systems. Marshall also has a dry appointment in the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

“Professor Marshall’s work is central to the Stamps mission to teach the next generation of cultural workers tools and methods to materialize interventions to improve the material conditions of our broader communities,” said Dean Carlos Francisco Jackson. ​“His research imperative has led new curriculum, studios, and research interventions that have situated Stamps at the vanguard of digital fabrication, design-thinking, sculpture, and a practice-based thread that spans from industrial design to architecture. Professor Marshall’s service to the school, university, region, nation, and broader field of art and design is extensive and far surpasses the expectations for promotion to full Professor.” 

Public Engagement and Community-Based Innovation

Marshall is co-founder of the Detroit-based collaborative studio rootoftwo, alongside partner Cézanne Charles. rootoftwo explores how art and design can impact society through emerging technology and civic engagement. Their creative practice includes integrating art and design into the 32-acre Michigan Central innovation district in Detroit. ​“When artists and designers are seen on the same level as startup founders, we open up entirely new possibilities,” Marshall said.

Marshall’s creative work often intersects with initiatives that reimagine urban systems and foster inclusive civic participation. In 2024, he and Charles were awarded a Knight New Work Detroit grant for 463NCY: A Cyberpunk Cooperative Game, a digitally augmented tabletop experience exploring the commodification of personal data and digital privacy. Developed in collaboration with community partners, the game was featured at Detroit Imagines Harder: Futures of Work, a summit exploring speculative labor futures through design fiction. They are also 2023 Creative Capital awardees.

This socially engaged approach extends into large-scale planning and public space design. Marshall was part of the winning team for the 2019 DIA Plaza/​Midtown Cultural Connections international design competition, a visionary reimagining of Detroit’s 83-acre Cultural Center. As co-lead of rootoftwo, he also contributed to the Cultural Center Planning Initiative (CCPI), helping shape the district’s digital transformation strategy. The CCPI earned the 2024 ​“Partners in Progress” award at the Bay Urban Visioning Awards in Bilbao, Spain, recognizing its collaborative and future-forward framework.

Marshall’s advisory and facilitation roles further demonstrate his commitment to supporting cultural infrastructure. He led visioning workshops for the Song Foundation/​Song United in support of their relocation to Detroit, and is currently advising Locust Projects in Miami on the integration of digital tools to enhance artistic practice. His expertise was also central to the ​“Design Justice” workshop co-organized with the Innovation, Culture, and Creativity (ICC) initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation. This workshop convened artists, designers, and community organizers to co-create equitable frameworks for technological development, culminating in rootoftwo’s participation at the ICC National Convening at UCLA in December 2024. rootoftwo also recently launched an 18-month research initiative to assess and strengthen the infrastructure supporting Detroit’s creative practitioners, cultural workers, and arts organizations with the Kresge Foundation.

Academic Leader and Mentor

A first-generation college student, Marshall holds four degrees. He said education enabled him to transcend the economic conditions he was born into.“This promotion is deeply meaningful,” Marshall said. ​“Neither of my parents finished high school. I saw education as the way to change the trajectory of my life.”

As an educator at the University of Michigan, Marshall emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches and community engagement. He has led design charrettes with graduate students for partners including the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, IBM Watson Health, and Steelcase. He also initiated the inaugural Impact Hackathon at the Ross School of Business, bringing together global leaders in social impact.

Marshall’s teaching emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving. ​“There are no right answers, but there are better questions,” he said. ​“I want students to come to their own realizations and understand that they have agency.” He added that his creative work is often driven by social challenges. ​“The issue comes first — usually something that frustrates me — and then I work on it until I bring it to a resolution rather than a solution.”

With this new appointment, Marshall plans to continue advancing community-engaged design practices that explore the ethical and civic implications of emerging technologies.