Florian grew up in a rural small town in Germany, tightly connected to nature and its trees. Spending lots of time outdoors made him aware of the impact of weather and climate on our everyday lives. The fascination for the force of nature and the change in climate never wavered and Florian grew to become a sustainability and climate change specialist.

Once he made the jump out of the comfort zone of home and familiar areas, he continued to study, work, and advocate on climate at various places in the world. Florian studied weather and climate during his undergraduate and graduate degree in meteorology at University Leipzig in Germany. He studied climate change in the Arctic Ocean and dust storms across the world. Studied abroad in Norway and Hong Kong. Worked in affiliation with the European Space Agency to gather relevant climate data. His vacation to Southeast Asia reignited his love for climate research and mediation which brought Florian to Arizona State University, Tempe, for his Ph.D. in Sustainability, where he studied sustainable and fair urban heat mitigation. His studies included the science-policy interface between academics, city officials, and the public. During his Ph.D., Florian became more involved with advocacy and politics, which made him pursue a position as mediator between science and policy.

Now, at Third Way’s Climate & Energy Program and the Carbon-Free Europe Initiative, Florian serves as mediator in his capacity as Senior Research Advisor. He uses his strong academic, sustainability, and climate background across multiple areas to serve as an honest broker by creating data-driven solutions for short- and long-term net-zero goals and climate policies, enabling governments across the Atlantic and in the US to build reliable, affordable, secure, and clean energy systems.

Florian balances his life by traveling the world, re-connecting to nature, and challenging his body and mind, partaking in sports from trail-runs to triathlons and long-lasting strategy board games.