Ivo Wakounig

I am Ivo Wakounig and I was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. From a young age I was interested in astronomy and how the universe works. This led me to pursue bachelor’s degrees in Astronomy and in Physics at the University of Vienna. During my studies it became clear that there are more urgent questions to be answered than cosmological ones, most importantly how to ‘solve’ the daunting climate crisis. After an activist episode at Fridays for Future Austria and an employment at the Austrian Member Committee of the World Energy Council, I studied Sustainable Development at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. During my studies I did a lot of work in the nexus of energy transitions and youth engagement, which made me understand the value of intergenerational collaboration in energy transitions. Since October 2023 I pursue my PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, where I study the policy feedback dynamics of the Dutch energy transition. Alongside I am co-chairing the Future Energy Leaders the Netherlands and I am one of the Global Future Energy Leaders of the World Energy Council.