Heidelberg University
Heidelberg Center for Ibero-American Studies logo

About us Fynn M. Schmidt

Fynn M. Schmidt is a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Science. In his dissertation, Fynn examines socio-spatial transformations in connection with emerging green hydrogen production sites in southern Mexico (since 2025). The dissertation is supervised by HCIAS Jun-Prof. Dr. Rosa Lehmann.

During his studies, he completed research internships at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies, and the Central American Parliament. From 2021 to 2024, he worked as a student assistant at the Chair of International Relations and Sustainable Development in Münster. Since 2024, he has been working as a research associate at the Center for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN) at the University of Münster.

In his research, he focuses on the political ecology of Green Transition. He is particularly interested in local socio-spatial implications and the discursive negotiation of green energy projects in Mexico and Mesoamerica. Further interests include the study of and experimentation with transformative research practices and new higher education teaching formats in sustainability research.

Fynn Schmidt

Research in Progress

  • FUTURABILITIES - Being Able to Create Sustainable Futures, Enhancing Futures Capabilities (2025-2027): The R&I group FUTURABILITIES explores how European higher education institutions can foster “future skills” - that is, mindsets, methods, and reflexive capacities that enable students and educators to anticipate and actively shape societal transformations (funded by ULYSSEUS).

Completed Research Projects

  • LATERNE - Universities in the Anthropocene: Lighthouse Adoption and Transfer for Sustainable Development (2022-2025): In this project, the universities of Siegen, Münster and Osnabrück are analyzing how it can be possible to make lighthouse projects for more sustainability and global justice more widespread at universities. To this end, they are generating new knowledge about the role of lighthouse projects in university transformation processes at an analytical level drawing on the Whole Institution Approach (WIA).

Publications

Table

  • Kopp, T., Wiethüchter, J., Stademann, I., Schmidt, F., Heiland, N., & Caspari, S. (Eingereicht). Creating Realities on Trial: Experimental Organisational Development for Sustainability in Public Institutions. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy.
  • Mamut, P., Wiethüchter, J., Schmidt, F., Lange, S., Wender, H., Stademann, I., Fuchs, D. A., Halbe, J., Kopp, T., & Lang, M. (2023). Nachhaltigkeitsaktivitäten an den Universitäten und in den Regionen Münster, Osnabrück und Siegen: Eine Inventarisierung im Rahmen des Projekts LATERNE.

Recent Presentations and Media Contributions

Table

  • Vortrag: Schmidt, F. (2026). El hidrógeno verde en México: cooperación internacional, reestructuración socio-espacial – y nuevos conflicts? Centro Universitario de Ciencias Económicas Administrativas, Universidad de Guadalajara. Zapopan, 23. Januar 2026.
  • Vortrag: Wiethüchter, J.; Schmidt, F. (2025) Navigating Agency and Structures: Preliminary results from an attempt to pursue slow science in a fast (science) world. RIFS Conference "Tough Conversations in Tough Times". Berlin, 04.12.2025.
  • Vortrag: Wiethüchter, J.; Schmidt, F. (2025) Attempting to pursue slow science in a fast (science) world – between encountering systemic boundaries and pockets of hope. 18th Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics and 11th International Degrowth Conference. Oslo, 27.06.2025.
  • Blogbeitrag: Schmidt F., Wiethüchter J. (2024). Das große Ganze betrachten – Inventarisierung und Vergleich von universitären Nachhaltigkeitsaktivitäten.
  • Blogbeitrag: Stevelmans K., Kaehlert N., Schmidt, F. (2022). Integration von Global- und Zukunftsperspektiven in deliberative Beteiligungsformate: Wie kann das gelingen?

Contact

fYNN m. Schmidt

Heidelberg Center for Ibero-American Studies | HCIAS
Brunnengasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg

Deutsch

Contact