Mark Ortiz is currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow & Incoming Assistant Professor of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University, U.S. He received his B.A. in Environmental Studies & Religious Studies from the University of Alabama in 2015 and his PhD in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022. His research interests encompass youth politics, climate justice, storytelling methods, and social movement studies, with a particular interest in developing youth-centered research methodologies and digital storytelling methods to better represent contemporary youth climate action globally. He has followed the UN COP climate process since 2015 and attended several other United Nations Sustainable Development and climate meetings as a youth delegate and researcher. He is part of the American Association of Geographers inaugural Elevate the Discipline cohort of climate and society scholars, was a 2023 Emerging Leader for Climate Action through a partnership between Globally and the UAE Embassy in the U.S., and his research on youth climate advocacy has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
What is Youth Political Participation for Mark?
As a college student, I was part of student and youth led movements for environmental, economic, and social justice. I was majoring in Environmental Studies at the time with a deep interest in the global political response to climate change (or lack thereof). As I was entering graduate school in Geography, I was hearing more and more about youth climate movements, from young people suing the U.S. national government for climate inaction (the subject of my master’s thesis) to young people engaged in the United Nations climate negotiations. I gradually saw my interests in youth organizing and climate politics coming closer together and cohering into what has become a lasting research emphasis. Now, my work is directly informed by my experiences as a youth/student organizer, and particularly my approach to what I think of as ‘youth-centered research design’ or ‘intergenerational co-design.’ These are the areas my Lab works in now, and these approaches are inspired by the types of creativity, brilliance, and imagination I observed in youth movements and my desire to bring these qualities to academic research on climate and sustainability.
Personality trait Mark admires most
I’m not sure what exactly this question is requesting , but if it is asking for my role models, some of my intellectual and writing heroes include Arundhati Roy, Edward Said, Kiese Laymon, and Ocean Vuong.
I admire the honesty, intellectual clarity, and critical hue of their work and think of these writers as among the key inspirations for my style and approach.
Fun fact about Mark
In addition to my work as a scholar, I am an avid music fan. I love attending live music shows and festivals and have a particular affinity for R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggaeton, and Electronic music. I also enjoy listening to and learning about experimental music and music from around the world. I have long dreamt of opening a global music lounge in the U.S. with themed nights highlighting different styles of music from around the world (looking for investors ). I have played guitar for 15 years (primarily jazz, R&B, and ambient/shoegaze) and also enjoy working in an amateur fashion on my own music productions.
Work already published
Links to existing writing available here: https://markbortiz.com/writing
Link to relevant projects / collectives Mark is part of
I am the Creator and Director of The Global Youth Storytelling & Research Lab at Penn State, a collaborative research ecosystem bringing together Penn State researchers with youth civil society partners. Our Lab seeks to bridge youth-centered research, education, storytelling, and policy engagement. Our website is here – https://sites.psu.edu/gysrl/ – and our Lab has a presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.
Get to know Mark
