Sebastian Levi

Dr. Sebastian Levi is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Hertie School’s Centre for Sustainability, focusing on climate change politics and public attitudes. He holds a doctorate from the Berlin Graduate School of Transnational Studies, an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin.

His research examines how political developments shape public preferences on climate policy. Key areas include the influence of social and political contexts on belief in human-made climate change and the design of effective climate policies. He contributes to the ARIADNE project, a BMBF-funded initiative analyzing Germany’s climate policy response, with a focus on public attitudes and institutional capacity for emission neutrality.

Dr. Levi employs quantitative and computational methods, including machine learning, to study policy effectiveness and public opinion dynamics. His work has been cited in the UN IPCC report, underscoring its impact on global climate discourse. Prior roles include a Visiting Assistant in Research at Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a researcher at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC).

His research spans topics such as carbon pricing determinants, climate policy instrument mixes, and regional disparities in climate policy acceptance. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to address systemic challenges in climate governance and sustainable development.