When Claudia Sheinbaum took the oath of office on October 1, 2024 C.E., she became the first woman and the first Jewish person ever to lead Mexico — a nation of 130 million people and one of the world’s largest democracies. A climate scientist turned head of government, Sheinbaum brought to the presidency not just a historic identity, but a rare academic depth: a doctorate in energy engineering, more than 100 co-authored scientific papers, and direct contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
At a glance
- Mexico’s first female president: Sheinbaum defeated opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez in a landslide in the June 2024 C.E. election, winning with roughly 59% of the vote — the largest margin in Mexico’s modern democratic era.
- Climate scientist in office: Sheinbaum earned her Ph.D. in energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and contributed to both the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the IPCC, making her one of the most scientifically credentialed leaders of any major nation.
- Universal healthcare reform: Among her first major acts as president, Sheinbaum used her legislative supermajority to enshrine universal healthcare into Mexico’s constitution, alongside minimum wage protections and expanded social programs.
A scientist who entered politics through the environment
Sheinbaum’s path to the presidency ran through laboratories and lecture halls before it ran through campaign rallies. She completed doctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, studying energy use in Mexico’s transportation and building sectors. She joined the faculty at UNAM in 1995 C.E. and was recognized in 1999 C.E. as the university’s best young researcher in engineering and technological innovation.
Her move into government came when Andrés Manuel López Obrador appointed her secretary of the environment for Mexico City’s Federal District in 2000 C.E. In that role, she oversaw the launch of the Metrobús bus rapid transit system and helped design the city’s expanding ring road. Those decisions — prioritizing public transit and infrastructure over car-centric planning — reflected the kind of evidence-based policymaking she had long championed in academic settings.
By the time she became Head of Government of Mexico City in 2018 C.E., Sheinbaum was managing a megalopolis of nearly 9 million people through a global pandemic, a deadly metro overpass collapse, and persistent public safety challenges. Critics argued her administration’s security record was uneven, and the metro collapse drew serious scrutiny. The full accounting of her Mexico City tenure remains contested.
What her election means — and where it fits in history
Mexico joins a growing list of countries that have elected women to their highest offices, but the scale of Sheinbaum’s mandate sets this moment apart. Her margin of victory was historic by any measure, and her party, Morena, held supermajorities in both chambers of the national legislature — giving her unusual capacity to enact structural reforms from day one.
Her Jewish heritage adds another layer of historical significance. Sheinbaum’s family carries a remarkable immigration story: her paternal grandfather emigrated from Lithuania in 1928 C.E., and her maternal family fled Bulgaria after the persecution of Jews during World War II. Her mother went on to become the first Sephardic woman to hold an academic post at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Sheinbaum herself has not made her religious background a central part of her political identity, but its presence in her story speaks to the broader story of Jewish communities finding refuge and building futures throughout Latin America.
In 2025 C.E., Forbes ranked Sheinbaum the fifth most powerful woman in the world — a recognition that reflects both the size of Mexico’s geopolitical footprint and the reach of her early policy agenda.
The reforms she’s already enacted
Working with her legislative supermajority, Sheinbaum moved quickly on several constitutional reforms. Social programs — long delivered through executive action and thus vulnerable to reversal — were written into the constitution directly. The minimum wage was legally required to rise faster than inflation. Universal healthcare was enshrined as a constitutional guarantee.
She also reversed key elements of Mexico’s 2013 C.E. energy reform, shifting the sector back toward greater state control. That decision has drawn criticism from foreign investors and raised questions about energy market efficiency. How Mexico balances state-led energy policy with the investment needed for a clean energy transition will be one of the defining tests of her presidency.
Sheinbaum has spoken publicly about climate ambition and brings credibility to those conversations that few world leaders can match. Whether that scientific background translates into measurable emissions reductions — in a country heavily dependent on oil revenue — remains to be seen.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Wikipedia — Claudia Sheinbaum
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Marie-Louise Eta becomes the first female head coach in men’s top-flight European football
- Global suicide rate has fallen by 40% since 1995
- The Good News for Humankind archive on Mexico
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