Marcus is the head of geospatial analysis at the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at UMD where he oversees research relating to terrorism, illicit finance, and GIScience. He has advanced methodological training in spatial statistics, demography, sociology, and geographic information systems. His primary research interests are economic geography and regional science, spatial inequality, and illicit spaces. His research has been funded by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and others. Prior to coming to START, he served in a variety of roles supporting various agencies of the U.S. Government. Marcus completed his PhD in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences at George Mason University. His dissertation research focused on the interplay between terrorist attacks, illicit finance, and illicit spaces.