Sheila Foster is a full Professor at Columbia University's Climate School. Her research spans a broad range of topics, including innovative resource governance regimes, land use policy, and the role of subnational governments and local leaders in addressing cross-border challenges such as climate change.

Previously, she was the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Urban Law and Policy at Georgetown University where she held a joint appointment with the Law Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy. At Georgetown, she served as the faculty advisor to the Georgetown Project on State and Local Government Policy and Law (SALPAL) and as an affiliated researcher with the Global Cities Initiative and The Earth Commons Institute. Professor Foster was also a Founding Editor of SLoGLaw Blog, dedicated to developments in state and local government law.
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Prior to joining Georgetown, Foster was a University Professor and the Albert A. Walsh Professor of Real Estate, Land Use and Property Law at Fordham University. During her tenure at Fordham, she co-directed the Urban Law Center, established the university-wide Urban Consortium, and served for six years as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and then Vice Dean at the Law School. Prior to joining Fordham, she was a Professor of Law at the Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey.
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Foster received her B.A. in English with honors from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.