During my BA in Economics and Politics of Asia at Ruhr Universität Bochum (Germany, 2010-15), I started studying China-Latin America relations and spent semesters at Tongji University (China, 2013-14) and Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana (Mexico, 2014). After my graduation, I worked as an associate researcher in the UNU-IAS project Studio Cities and Biodiversity at the Federal University of Technology Parana (Brazil) where I completed an MA in Technology and Society (2017-19) and conducted research on circular economy and the implementation of local environmental policies.

In my PhD in Environment and Society at the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM) at the State University of Campinas (Brazil, 2019-23), I applied a multi-level approach to China's environmental governance. My research focused on ecological compensation mechanisms and the concept of Ecological Civilization (生态文明) on which I also worked during my time as a visiting research at the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University (Netherlands, 2021-22). I am interested in the political economy of environmental issues (biodiversity, conservation, climate change) and Chinas relations with the Global South in bilateral and multilateral institutions.

For office hours please schedule a 15-minute slot via Calendly (Thursdays 11-12:00 & on appointment) or send an email to niklas.weins@xjtlu.edu.cn at least one day before to confirm your appointment and the topics to be discussed. My office is in SIP-HS302.

Global environmental governance, International organizations, China - Latin America relations

Environmental policies, Institutions

Circular economy, Payments for Ecosystem Services

Social service voluntary, Centro de Estudios, Promocion y Asistencia Social, Santiago de Veraguas, Panama, 2009-2010

Visiting Researcher, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, 2021-2022

Associate Researcher Studio Cities and Biodiversity, Federal University of Technology, 2015-2019

Exchange student, Autonomous Metropolitan University, Mexico, 2014

Exchange student, Tongji University, China, 2013-2014

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University:

• INS415 Global Environmental Policy
• INS413 International Business and Global Affairs Dissertation
• INS106 East and Southeast Asia - The Pacific Century?
• HSS003 Introduction to Humanities and Social Sciences
• INS102 Introduction to Political Economy
• LIT307 Climate Change & Literature (Guest lecture)

State University of Campinas:

• CS214 B, Tópicos em Estudos das Relações China-Brasil II: BRICS e a Globalização: Interação, Desenvolvimento e Diálogo (Teaching Assistant)

Guest lectures:

• Duke Kunshan University: ENVIRON 803K The Environmental Policy Process
• University Institute of Lisbon (CEI-Iscte): Centre for International Studies
• Federal University of Technology Paraná: Global environmental change
• Federal University of Technology Paraná: Public policy and management
• State University of Campinas: CS213C, Tópicos em Estudos das Relações China-Brasil I Introdução ao Estudo da China: Uma abordagem multidisciplinar (Guest Lecture: Environmental politics)
• State University of Campinas: AS-005A, Sociologia Ambiental
• University of Brasília: Institute of International Relations (Guest lecture, China in global environmental governance)