Liz May is a Policy Fellow with the Africa Trade Policy Programme at LSE Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa. She has over twenty-five years' experience of policy, research and advocacy work on international trade, development, environment, supply chains, business and human rights. She has worked in academia as a senior researcher at SOAS Development Leadership Dialogue; as a private consultant for a wide range of private sector and government clients; and spent many years leading advocacy work in civil society for Transform Trade, Stop AIDS Campaign and Action for Southern Africa.

Selected publications:
"The Art of the Possible" SOAS Development Leadership Dialogue Case Study Series (2025)
"Towards a fair and strategic trade and climate policy" Report of the UK Climate and Trade Commission (December 2022)
"Charting a new course in US-Africa relations: The importance of learning from others’ mistakes" Brookings Commentary, Liz May and Andrew Mold (June 2021)

Research interests: International trade policy; the nexus between climate/environment, trade and development; trade and sustainable industrialisation; bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations; policy space for economic transformation

Region of focus: Africa

Expertise details: Trade, climate and development; bilateral trade negotiations including Free Trade Agreements and Economic Partnership Agreements; trade preference schemes; WTO negotiations; EU and UK environmental policies including CBAM and Deforestation Regulation; supply chains including bananas, tea, sugar, cotton, horticulture, garments