Axel Marx

Axel Marx is a prominent academic and Deputy Director of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at KU Leuven (since 2010 as Centre of Excellence, 2016 as Jean Monnet Centre). He has managed over 80 funded research projects, including European collaborations, and consulted for the European Parliament, European Commission, World Bank, and United Nations entities.

Research Interests: His work focuses on voluntary sustainability standards, global governance, EU trade policy, and human rights. Recent publications analyze institutional design for corporate sustainability due diligence, cocoa sector sustainability in Indonesia, and trade policy's role in development.

• Co-chair, UN Forum on Sustainability Standards' Academic Advisory Council
• Member, Evidensia Research Council and ILO Labour Provisions Hub
• Affiliated with Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Business and Human Rights in Brazil

Publications: Over 200 works in journals like Global Policy, Ambio, and Regulation & Governance. Co-edited four major books on global governance and business-human rights issues. Developed MOOCs on Sustainable Development Goals via EdX.

Supervision: Guided two recent doctoral theses on VSS implementation in agricultural sectors and corporate accountability for extraterritorial human rights violations.