Michelle Sims is a GIS Analyst with Global Forest Watch (GFW), where she prepares spatial data and research outputs for the GFW platform. She supports various projects, including the Global Forest Review, mapping drivers of deforestation, and research related to carbon fluxes in forest and non-forest ecosystems.

Previously, Michelle worked at a non-profit called EcoAgriculture Partners in Washington, D.C., on programs that used integrated landscape management to improve environmental, economic, and social outcomes in biodiversity-rich agricultural landscapes. Prior to that, she worked for at a non-profit called Pueblo a Pueblo in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, managing a project that aimed to strengthen the economic security of coffee farmers through beekeeping and honey production.

Michelle holds a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from the University of California, Davis and an M.S. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley. Her Master's research used remote sensing and geospatial modeling to analyze land use change and habitat connectivity in the Northern Coast of Honduras.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys backpacking, painting, traveling, and spending time outdoors.