Matilda Petersson

Matilda Petersson is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economic History and International Relations, Stockholm University. She specializes in global environmental governance, focusing on non-state actors, public-private partnerships, and international cooperation for biodiversity and climate policy integration. Previously, she held a postdoctoral position at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2021). She earned her PhD (2020) in sustainability science at Stockholm Resilience Centre, a Master’s in sustainability science from the same institution, and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Gothenburg.

• PhD in Sustainability Science (2020), Stockholm Resilience Centre
• MSc in Sustainability Science
• BSc in Political Science, University of Gothenburg

Her research examines how international cooperative initiatives address biodiversity-climate synergies, transparency in fisheries governance, and accountability mechanisms for non-state actors. She investigates the role of NGOs in shaping RFMOs’ effectiveness and analyzes structural determinants of non-state actor participation. Current projects include Mistra Mineral Governance, aiming to secure sustainable access to critical minerals while protecting human rights.

Recent publications highlight her work on: (1) cooperative initiatives for biodiversity-climate alignment (2022-2023); (2) transparency mechanisms in fisheries governance (2022); (3) NGO influence in RFMOs (2020); and (4) non-state actor participation trends (2019). She advocates for integrated, inclusive approaches to environmental governance.

Matilda serves as a researcher in international environmental policy, with expertise in data collection on non-state actor engagement in RFMOs (2019-2021) and theoretical frameworks for analyzing NGO impact through venue shopping and advocacy strategies. She has consulted for the Food and Agriculture Organization (2013-2018) on regional fisheries management organizations.