Thomas Friedrich has been a research scientist at ISOE since March 2019. He studied and earned his doctorate in social and cultural anthropology at the Universities of Cologne and Hamburg. He also completed an additional qualification as a coordinator for climate protection and resource management with a focus on renewable energy at the Gesellschaft für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (GNE) in Witzenhausen and gained interdisciplinary research experience at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) in Bielefeld as well as at the Hamburg Cluster of Excellence “Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction” (CliSAP). His research focuses on the everyday challenges and consequences of the societal transformation towards more sustainability. At the universities of Bochum and Cologne he gained teaching experience, especially in the field of qualitative empirical social research.

Focus of Research

  • Climate adaptation
  • Assessment, communication and perception of climate impacts
  • Empirical social research

Publications

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Current Publications

Projects

  • CultCryo – Infrastructures, Politics and Futures of Artificial Cooling
    Transformation Climate Adaptation Sufficiency

    CultCryo – Infrastructures, Politics and Futures of Artificial Cooling

    Artificial cooling fundamentally shapes the world we live in. Cooling and freezing technologies have become indispensable for a wide range of everyday practices. The project explores the cultural foundations of global cooling infrastructure and its impacts.

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  • KWAPE – Municipal heat planning to activate private homeowners
    Luftaufnahme von Cheix-en-Retz
    Transformation Sufficiency

    KWAPE – Municipal heat planning to activate private homeowners

    Homeowners are key players in the implementation of municipal heat planning. The project investigate sustainable heating solutions and exploring new participation formats.

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  • transform-R – Shaping the energy and mobility transition as a socio-ecological transformation in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region
    Sufficiency Mobility Transformation

    transform-R – Shaping the energy and mobility transition as a socio-ecological transformation in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region

    The mobility transition requires cooperation between political, civil society and economic players. Innovative measures and social innovations are being tested in real-world laboratories.

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  • Climate adaptation concept for the municipality of Gau-Algesheim
    Blick von der Richardshöhe auf dem Wanderweg Bismarckturm in Rheinhessen hinunter nach Gau-Algesheim
    Climate Adaptation Knowledge and Participation

    Climate adaptation concept for the municipality of Gau-Algesheim

    ISOE and Energy Effizienz GmbH are developing a climate adaptation concept for Gau-Algesheim that involves local stakeholders and offers practical solutions for climate-resilient municipal development.

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  • WissTransKlima – Knowledge transfer for better climate adaptation in municipalities
    Climate Adaptation Knowledge and Participation

    WissTransKlima – Knowledge transfer for better climate adaptation in municipalities

    The three-year research project aims to investigate what kind of knowledge needs and barriers exist among municipal decision-makers and how the latter can then be addressed by means of better knowledge transfer. The intention is to support climate adaptation in Hessian municipalities.
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  • Social aspects of environmental policy
    Transformation

    Social aspects of environmental policy

    The project analyzes conflicting goals and synergies of socially just environmental policy and develops recommendations for sustainable and accepted measures.

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  • Everyday life in the neighborhood 4.0
    Transformation

    Everyday life in the neighborhood 4.0

    The project develops points of reference for those involved in neighbourhood development in order to better consider the opportunities and risks of the increasing digitalization of everyday life in planning processes.

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  • TRI-HP – Trigeneration systems based on multiple renewable sources
    Sufficiency Transformation

    TRI-HP – Trigeneration systems based on multiple renewable sources

    The EU project TRI-HP is investigating the social acceptance and requirements of innovative trigeneration systems in order to make renewable energy technology for residential buildings user-friendly and effective.

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  • Societal impacts of research institutions: ARL Effectiveness Study
    Abstraktes Bild, Luftaufnahme Platz mit Menschen, die durch Linien verbunden sind
    Knowledge and Participation

    Societal impacts of research institutions: ARL Effectiveness Study

    The ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association works in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner. Our study highlights the added value of this approach.

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  • Cognitive integration and innovation
    Knowledge and Participation

    Cognitive integration and innovation

    The aim of the project is to dynamically integrate current advances in socio-ecological research in relevant scientific fields.

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