Michael Shin is an associate professor in the Department of Geography with research and teaching interests in political geography, geographic data visualization and analysis, and Italian politics and society. He received his Bachelors degree in International Affairs, and his Masters and Ph.D. in Geography, from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Prior to his appointment at UCLA in 2001 he was an assistant professor at the University of Miami in Florida.

As a Faculty-in-Residence, Michael has offered a range of programs from attending graduate school and writing research papers, to online mapping and preparing for international travel. For the 2008-2009 academic year, he plans to offer programs on the 2008 US presidential election, financial planning for students, and studying abroad.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys playing golf, reading golf magazines and watching golf on HDTV. He is also an avid fly fisherman, amateur astronomer and former-sushi chef. Michael and his wife, Libby, and their two kids, Nicole (6) and Lucas (3) live in DeNeve (Fir).