About Helena Hulsman
Helena Hulsman is Senior Researcher/Advisor Urban Resilience and Nature-based Solutions at the department of Urban Water and Subsurface Management at Deltares.
With a background in Biology (Limnology & Oceanography; MSc University of Amsterdam) and Environment and Resource Management (MSc VU Amsterdam), Ms. Hulsman has worked for over 15 years on projects related to Integrated Water Resources Management, Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change and Urban Water Management, and developed and managed multi-party specialist consultancy and applied research projects and programs in the Netherlands and internationally.
Helena’s current work focuses on strengthening the knowledge base for upscaling and mainstreaming of Nature-based, circular and resilient strategies and solutions, harnessing ecosystem functions and services for the benefit of safety, human well-being, climate adaptation and environmental quality in urban landscapes around the world. Her projects are related to
- (cost-)effectiveness and conceptual designs of (sets of) NBS,
- decision-support tools for incorporating NBS in spatial plans
- understanding barriers and enabling conditions for mainstreaming of NBS,
- quantified integrated landscape approach to NBS,
- strengthening soils in urban NBS.
Previously, Helena was Associate Director Singapore Operations at the Deltares Singapore Branch for over three years, where she was responsible for Deltares activities in the South and East Asia region and coordinated Deltares' strategic knowledge alliance with the National University of Singapore: NUSDeltares.
Until 2023, Helena was Programme Manager of the Deltares research programme on Sustainability, focusing on the development of knowledge, tools and guidance for mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions. She currently has a role in the strategic development of Deltares ‘Moonshot’ on Healthy and Resilient Water and Subsurface Systems and is responsible for Deltares’ NBS marketing for Europe.