About Heleen Vreugdenhil
Dr. Heleen Vreugdenhil is specialised in innovation processes. She holds a PhD from Delft University of Technology on Pilot Projects in Water Management. Her expertise lies in understanding and facilitating the design, management, and implementation of innovation processes in the complex multi-actor contexts that characterise riverine and coastal regions. Understanding diverse actor perspectives, co-creation processes and knowledge management are key ingredients in developing innovations. Heleen focuses on generating impact by facilitating the scaling-up of innovations from pilot projects to full implementation and institutionalisation. Critical in generating impact is working at the science-policy interface and encouraging others to transfer knowledge in multiple ways.
Applications include Coastal Restoration, River Management, Port Sustainability and Offshore Wind Farms. Some particular contributions include developing Business Models for new Water-Landscapes, institutionalising and financing NbS, Sustainability Assessment for ports, Mapping knowledge management dynamics in Offshore Wind Farms, and working in Living Labs for operational river management contributing to Flexible Groynes, Plastic removal, Sheep herding, Automated monitoring and Bank erosion with local materials.
With her dual position at Deltares and TPM she is firmly planted both in academia and practice. As such she can bring the most recent scientific insights into practical projects and use practical expertise in teaching Building with Nature. Furthermore, Heleen is in the programme committee of NCR (Netherlands Centre of River Studies), member of the European Network of Living Labs, and the editorial board of the International Journal of Water Governance, supporting and facilitating scientific research on water governance. Her overarching ambition is to continue to strengthen knowledge exchange and facilitate cooperation between academia and practice, seeking to deepen scientific understanding and increase the impact of innovation processes in water management relevant to enabling Delta Life.
At the Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Heleen teaches the Master course ‘Building with Nature and Beyond’ and supervises PhD students on (1) Living Labs in landscape transformations and (2) Financing NbS. Heleen also regularly supervises Msc. Students.
She is part of the editorial team of International Journal of Water Governance.
Publications
Circles of Port Sustainability: A novel method combining global comparability and local relatability in performance assessment. Environmental Development
Taljaard, S., Slinger, J. H., Weerts, S. P., Vreugdenhil, H. S., & Nzuza, C. (2024).Where space is created societal values are generated: The case of the Sand Engine. International Journal of Water Governance
Vreugdenhil, H. S. I., & Slinger, J. (2023)Organising knowledge generation and dissemination in the Dutch high-water protection programme–a senderreceiver approach. Knowledge Management Research & Practice
Duijn, M., Vreugdenhil, H., Janssen, S., Tromp, E., & Ellen, G. J. (2022)Relaunching International Journal of Water Governance (IJWG 2.0)
Warner, J., Vos, J., Dewulf, A., Slinger, J., Vreugdenhil, H., Vij, S. (2022)Cooperating for added value: Using participatory game theory in implementing nature-based flood defences
Vreugdenhil, H., Janssen, S., Hermans, L., & Slinger, J. (2022)The natural environment in port development: A ‘green handbrake’or an equal partner?
Taljaard, S., Slinger, J. H., Arabi, S., Weerts, S. P., & Vreugdenhil, H. (2021)On the nature based flood defence dilemma and its Resolution: A game theory based analysis
Janssen, S., Vreugdenhil, H., Hermans, L., & Slinger, J. (2020)Coastal engineers embrace nature: Characterizing the metamorphosis in hydraulic engineering in terms of four continua
Slinger, J. H., & Vreugdenhil, H. S. (2020)Identifying ecosystem-based alternatives for the design of a seaport’s marine infrastructure: The case of Tema port expansion in Ghana
de Boer, W. P., Slinger, J. H., Kangeri, A. K., Vreugdenhil, H. S., Taneja, P., Appeaning Addo, K., & Vellinga, T. (2019)A sustainability assessment of ports and port-city plans: Comparing ambitions with achievements.
Schipper, C. A., Vreugdenhil, H., & De Jong, M. P. C. (2017)De Beleidsarena van het Deltaprogramma
Water Governance 6, pp. 30-38 8
Vreugdenhil, HSI en Wijermans, N. (2013)The Dutch dominant perspective on water; risks and opportunities involved
Offermans, A., P. Valkering , H. Vreugdenhil , N. Wijermans & M. Haasnoot (2013)Readiness and Willingness of the public to participate in water management: some insights from the Levant
Ker Rault, P.A., Vreugdenhil, H.S.I., Jeffrey, P.A., and Slinger, J.H. (2013)Diffusion of pilot projects: the next step in policy transitions
Vreugdenhil, H.S.I., Taljaard, S., Slinger, J.H. (2012)A perspective-based simulation game to explore future pathways of an interacting watersociety system
Valkering, P., Van der Brugge, R., Haasnoot, M., Offermans, A., Vreugdenhil, H. (2012)Pilot projects in Water Management.
Vreugdenhil, H.S.I., Slinger, J.H., Thissen, W.A.H., Ker Rault, P.A. (2010)The influence of scale preferences on the design of an innovation in Dutch river management
Vreugdenhil, H.S.I., Slinger, J.H., Kater, E. (2010)Pilot projects in Evidence Based Policy Making
Vreugdenhil, H.S.I. and Ker Rault, P.A. (2010)Social-Ecological Systems Governance. From Paradigm to Management Approach
Frantzeskaki, N., Slinger, J.H., Vreugdenhil, H.S.I., Van Daalen, E. (2010)