Sheila David was a Senior Project Manager at the H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment from 1997 to 2006. She managed a variety of projects with her committee members on such topics as the Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards; Evaluation of Erosion Hazards; Integrated Management of the Tempisque River Basin in Costa Rica; and Dam Removal: Science and Decision-Making.

Sheila also served as Sr. Staff Officer at the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Sciences from 1976 to 1997. She worked with experts on such studies as The Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems; Dam Removal in the United States; Sustainable Water Supplies for the Middle East; Glen Canyon Environmental Studies and some 30 other studies.

Sheila has served as an advisor and board member for the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and as editor of AWIS Magazine. She is a founder of the National Academies annual program honoring women in science.