Frederic is co-founder and scientific manager of the “Panel on Planetary Thinking” at Giessen University and co-convener of the Earth System Governance Project’s Working Group on Democracy. Considering the stimulating science-art interface, he initiated the “Planetary Scholars and Artists in Residence Program”. His own research revolves around the intersections of democracy and planetary change. Frederic is currently working on the book “The Planetary Condition,” which develops the notion of an emerging planetary paradigm, under contract with Cambridge University Press. Together with Anna Katsman, he is co-editing a book titled “Seeds for Democratic Futures,” featuring contributions from THE NEW INSTITUTE’s fellows. Before joining Giessen University, Frederic received his PhD from the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen and worked for the German Advisory Council on Global Change for the German Government (WBGU) in Berlin where he contributed to various policy-oriented reports. Afterwards, he was a research group leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam. Throughout his academic career, he has received several scholarships, including that of the International Council of Canadian Studies for his visiting fellowship at the School of the Environment of the University of Toronto.

At THE NEW INSTITUTE Frederic is working on themes related to The Future of Democracy and pursues a project on “Planetary Democracy”.