Victor Galaz's research focuses on financial systems, and their connection to large-scale environmental change with global non-linear climate repercussions. He is associate professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Victor Galaz is associate professor in political science at the Stockholm Resilience Centre , and programme director of the Beijer Institute’s Governance, Technology and Complexity programme. He is also co-Editor-in-Chief for the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (COSUST), and Board Member of The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) since 2021.

His research explores the political and governance challenges created by rapid global change, including globally networked risks, governance dimensions of “planetary boundaries”, the interplay between financial systems and Earth system dynamics, and the sustainability implications of novel technologies. Galaz's work about societal challenges created by technological change includes governance dimensions of geo-engineering, early warning systems of epidemic outbreaks, uses of social media to detect ecological change, online mis- and disinformation on environmental issues, and sustainability risks embedded in early applications of artificial intelligence. He is currently working on the book “Dark Machines” (for Routledge) about the impacts of artificial intelligence, digitalization and automation for the Biosphere.

Galaz has extensive experience as research leader in interdisciplinary projects exploring various dimensions of complex adaptive systems from his work as research theme leader (years 2006-2015) at the Stockholm Resilience Centre; deputy science director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre; acting executive director (2014-2015) at the Royal Swedish Academy; project leader for the project “Earth system finance” (2016-ongoing); co-lead of the Lancet Commission on Human Health and Climate Change (2013-2015), researcher and theme leader in the international research consortium Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa (DDDAC), together with STEPS Centre (UK), Institute for Development Studies (UK) and others (2012-2016); member of the Convention on Biological Diversity Liaison Expert group on geo-engineering (2011-2012); and advisor to the EU High-Level Group on Innovation Policy Management (2017). He is also co-editor-in-chief of the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability since 2021.

Among his publications are articles in journals including The Lancet; International Environmental Agreements; Trends in Environment and Evolution; Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment; Global Environmental Change; Ecological Economics; Public Administration; Environmental Politics; Governance; Complexity, Governance and Networks; Nature Climate Change; Science and others. Galaz is also the author of the book “Global Environmental Governance, Technology and Politics: The Anthropocene Gap” (Edward Elgar, UK/US, 2014), and editor of “Global Challenges, Governance, and Complexity Applications and Frontiers” (Edward Elgar, UK/US, 2019).

He also coordinates the new initiative “AI, People & Planet” together with the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, and Princeton University’s research on Global Systemic Risks (PIIRS).