Friedrich Wolfgang Opitz is program director at the German-American Institute Saxony in Leipzig, Germany. On a parallel basis, Friedrich is writing his dissertation on structural change and populism in the American Midwest and Eastern Germany. Between deindustrialization and decarbonization in both regions, he explores material and immaterial experiences of transformation, and what can be learned from the economic changes of past decades for current challenges. Before, Friedrich studied in the US (Ohio University) and France (Sciences Po Strasbourg), and holds a master’s degree in international relations with a focus on economics from the Technical University of Dresden. At the Industrial Heartlands Fellowship, Friedrich leads the Climate, Work, and Innovation Working Group.