Francisco Javier Varela Sandoval is a Visiting Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, where he teaches Core Microeconomics in the Master of Public Policy program. He is an economist and political scientist with more than 15 years of experience across government, academia, think tanks, consultancy, and international organizations. His work spans economic policy, digital governance, artificial intelligence, public-sector reform, and the design and evaluation of public policy.
Francisco has held senior positions in the Mexican federal government. At Mexico’s Ministry of Public Administration, he served as Head of the Human Resources Policy Unit for the Federal Public Administration and as Acting Undersecretary, working on government-wide policies affecting the federal civil service. Previously, at the Ministry of Health, he was Deputy General Director of Financing Policy. Earlier in his career, he worked on Mexico’s National Digital Strategy at the Office of the President and held several positions at Mexico’s federal transparency and data protection authority.
His international experience includes work with the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, the United Nations, the OECD, and the Open Government Partnership. He has also worked in the Mexican think-tank sector, serving as Director of Institutions and Governance Research at the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO).
Francisco was an Academy Fellow in the Digital Society Programme at Chatham House in London, where his research focused on the geopolitics of artificial intelligence and AI policy in middle powers. His recent research examines AI sovereignty, international technology policy, and the strategies available to middle powers seeking to develop domestic AI capabilities while navigating geopolitical and economic dependencies.
He has taught economics and public policy at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Princeton University, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). His teaching has included undergraduate and graduate courses in microeconomics, growth and inequality, and digital governance and public policy. Francisco also holds an International Diploma in Public Management from France’s Institut national du service public (INSP).
Courses offered:
Core Policy Course: Microeconomics
Degrees:
MPA, Princeton University, Public Affairs
Master, University of Strasbourg – Sciences Po Strasbourg, Comparative Administration and Public Management
B.A., ITAM, Economics
B.A., ITAM, Political Science
Recent Publications:
- Varela Sandoval, F. J., Wilkinson, R., Krasodomski, A., & Wilkinson, I. (2026). Breaking the deadlock on AI governance: How a crisis could lead to global coordination. Chatham House.
- Varela Sandoval, F. J., et al. (2026). How middle powers can weather US and Chinese AI dominance. Chatham House.
- Rubio-Márquez, V., & Varela Sandoval, F. (2023). “Latin America’s duty to stand with Ukraine.” In Supporting Ukraine: More Critical Than Ever. CEPR Press.
