Johan Swinnen became director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in January 2020.

He is a Commissioner in the Food Systems Economics Commission; Co-Chair of the Think20 (T20) Task Force on Climate Change, Sustainable Energy, and Environment; and also a member of the Champions 12.3 Leadership Group to Reduce Food Loss and Waste (SDG Target 12.3) and of the Africa Europe Strategic Task Force on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems.

Prior to joining IFPRI, Dr. Swinnen was professor of economics and director of the LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance at KU Leuven (Belgium) and senior research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels.