Renard Teipelke, born 1987, studied North American Studies and Communication Studies at the Free University of Berlin and International Relations and Urban Studies at the University of California in San Diego. His Master’s degree from Goethe University Frankfurt is in urban and economic geography as well as mobility studies. He gained work experience in German municipalities, transatlantic think tanks in Berlin and Washington, D.C., an urban development company in Berlin, and UN-Habitat in Nairobi. During his fellowship year, he focuses on challenges of rapid urbanization in peri-urban areas.