Bente-Sophie van Kalken is a PhD Candidate in the Environmental Economics group at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). Her research centres on the intersection of sustainable water management and water economics, with a particular focus on the hydro-economic modelling of the Circular Water Economy. Her current work is part of the STURDI-water project, a consortium that brings together stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil society to address freshwater scarcity in the Southwestern delta of the Netherlands.
Bente-Sophie completed a Master of Science in Environment and Resource Management (specialisation in water resources) from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a Bachelor of Science in Human Geography and Urban Planning from the University of Amsterdam. For the former, she conducted research at the University of Waterloo's Water Institute, focusing on the Circular Water Economy in the industrial sector of the North American Great Lakes region.
Before joining VU Amsterdam, she contributed to the environmental assessment of space programmes at the European Space Agency under the Strategy Department.
Expertise
Circular Water Economy, freshwater scarcity and management, hydro-economic modelling.
Education
2024: MSc Environment and Resource Management (Specialisation Water Resources) – Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2023: BSc Human Geography and Urban Planning – Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
