David Victor is a professor of international relations and co-director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at the School. His research focuses on highly regulated industries and how regulation affects the operation of major energy markets.

Victor is author of "Global Warming Gridlock," which explains why the world has not made much diplomatic progress on the problem of climate change while also exploring new strategies that would be more effective. Prior to joining UC San Diego, Victor served as director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, where he was a professor at Stanford Law School and taught energy and environmental law.

Earlier in his career he also directed the science and technology program at the Council on Foreign Relations and led the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Victor’s research interests surround energy policy—the future role of natural gas, electric power market reform and rural energy development—genetically modified plants and the related trade policy, climate-change policy, and the role of technology, innovation and competition in development.