Michelle Thompson

Michelle Thompson is an environmental scientist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work has taken her across water quality, clean energy, environmental policy, infrastructure, and regulatory work, with experience in government, research, and academia.

She currently works at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board as an environmental scientist, where she works on water quality regulation, NPDES permits, compliance, enforcement, and environmental cleanup. Before that, she worked at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she focused on grid resilience, microgrids, wildfire mitigation, utility infrastructure, and environmental and social justice. Earlier in her career, she worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration on clean energy, water, infrastructure, and federal projects.

Michelle’s research has focused largely on the connection between water and energy. She worked in Singapore at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore and has conducted research and fieldwork in places including Fiji, Ghana, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Her doctoral research focused on solar powered desalination and practical approaches to providing reliable water in places where conventional infrastructure can be difficult or expensive.

She holds a B.S. in Marine Biology and a Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA, as well as an M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University.

Outside of work, Michelle loves being active and outdoors. She is a trail runner, enjoys fitness and training, and is always looking for a new trail or adventure. She also loves traveling, architecture, interior design, and exploring new places. Her labrador, Mirai, is usually along for the ride.