Katharine R. E. Sims

Katharine R. E. Sims is a Professor in the Economics and Environmental Studies Departments at Amherst College. Her research focuses on policies balancing environmental protection and economic development, with a focus on land conservation in Mexico, Thailand, Nepal, and the U.S. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University (2008), an M.A. from Harvard (2005), and a B.A. from Princeton (1998).

Teaching includes environmental economics, econometrics, and environment & development courses. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, World Bank, and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2016–2019).

Research interests include environmental economics, development economics, and political economy. Recent work examines equity in land protection, environmental justice, and policy design for conservation success. Over 50 peer-reviewed articles address topics like payments for ecosystem services, deforestation, and poverty-alleviation impacts of conservation policies.

Notable awards include the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. Grants include studies on land conservation impacts, biogas adoption in Nepal, and forest user groups in Nepal. Collaborative projects involve analyzing land protection's economic effects in New England and China's nature reserves.

Her research integrates economics and ecology to inform sustainable development, emphasizing real-world policy applications. Future work focuses on balancing environmental, economic, and equity goals in conservation strategies.