Mark Elder is Director of Research and Publications in the Strategic Management Office at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Japan. He has led various research projects on environmental and sustainability governance issues including: sustainable development goals (SDGs), regional environmental cooperation in East Asia, biofuels, transboundary air pollution, and local governance. He led various publications on SDGs including "Integration Versus Prioritization in the Sustainable Development Goals" in Sustainable Development, “The Design of Environmental Priorities in the SDGs” in Global Policy," ASEAN Countries’ Environmental Policies for the Sustainable Development Goals” in Environment, Development and Sustainability," Assessment of the G20 Countries’ Concrete SDG Implementation Efforts" Sustainability, and a book, Realising the Transformative Potential of the SDGs. He was a Lead Author of the UN Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO5), and a Coordinating Lead Author of (GEO6) and (GEO7). He also led the development of the Sixth ASEAN State of the Environment Report. Before joining IGES in 2006, he was Assistant Professor of Political Economy and International Relations at Michigan State University. He received a Ph.D. in political science from the Department of Government, Harvard University.