After studying economics, political science and philosophy, Landes got his Ph.D. in philosophy from Université de Montréal in 2008. He has worked at various institutions such as Université de Montréal (CRE), the University of Toronto (Centre for Ethics), the University of Copenhagen, Université Catholique de Lille, and Institut d'Études Politiques de Lille. His fields of specialization are political philosophy and normative economics with an emphasis on business ethics, happiness and the welfare state. His present project at SSE Riga is to determine the moral obligations of public and private institutions, mostly the state, corporations and markets, in relation to well-being and sustainability.