Kaya Axelsson
Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow
Profile
Kaya Axelsson is a research fellow and Head of Policy and Partnerships at Oxford Net Zero where she leads a team to translate research into resources, policy, and standards for defining and achieving net zero. After years working as a community organiser, Kaya moved to Oxford to work on connecting climate action communities internationally. She has earned distinction for her research on politically unlikely renewable energy coalitions. Her current research and engagement focus is on the emerging net zero governance and regulatory landscape. Kaya has served as a strategic advisor to the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign and as lead technical author on the International Standard Organisation’s Net Zero Guidelines. With 15 years of experience in social and environmental sustainability, she convenes and works regularly with organisations and policy leaders on their net zero strategies.
Kaya is an author of The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting, Oxford Smith School’s guide to the design and delivery of net zero commitments and the most downloaded report on the Smith School’s website since its publication in February 2024.
Kaya contributes regularly to media on net zero governance with recent expert comments in Forbes, the Financial Times, the Guardian and a BBC One panorama documentary on carbon markets.
