Yixian Sun

Dr. Yixian Sun is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at the University of Bath, affiliated with the Centre for Development Studies, IAAPS, and the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change. He holds adjunct roles at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore) and the Earth System Governance Project. His research focuses on transnational environmental governance, China’s role in global sustainability frameworks, and the Belt and Road Initiative’s environmental impacts. He leads a £1.7 million UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project (SGAIN) analyzing sustainability governance in China’s global infrastructure investments.

Education includes a PhD in Political Science/International Relations from The Graduate Institute (2018), an MA in the same field (2014), and a BA in International Studies from Nanjing University (2010). He is an Associate Editor of Global Environmental Politics and World Development Perspectives, and contributes to UN-backed initiatives like the Race to Zero campaign.

Research interests span environmental politics, sustainable consumption, and China’s transnational engagement. His award-winning book Certifying China (MIT Press, 2022) examines sustainability certification dynamics in emerging economies. His work emphasizes policy coherence, non-state actor governance, and the interplay between global and local sustainability agendas.

Key achievements include co-convening the Earth System Governance Taskforce on SDGs and advising multilateral environmental agreements. His projects bridge social science methodologies with policy impact, aiming to align international investments with equitable sustainability outcomes.