Sheila Olmstead’s research focuses on natural resource management and pollution control, with a particular emphasis on water resource economics, including urban water demand management, market-based approaches to water conservation, drinking water quality regulation, access to drinking water among low-income populations, and the efficient allocation of water across sectors. Her recent work investigates the impacts of information disclosure on drinking water quality violations, regulatory avoidance under the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, the influence of federal fire suppression policy on land development in the American West, and key components of a post-2012 international climate policy architecture. Before coming to the University of Texas in 2013, Olmstead was a Fellow at RFF (2010-2013). Olmstead was an Associate Professor (2007-2010) and Assistant Professor (2002-2007) of Environmental Economics at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.