Dr. Heleen Mees

Biography

Heleen Mees is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University, specializing in local sustainability governance. She is the research coordinator and a member of the Management Team of the Environmental Governance group. Heleen is also a board member and coordinator of the Geosciences Honours College. She teaches at both the Master’s and Bachelor’s levels, integrating her analytical, communicative, organizational, and leadership skills gained during her career as a global project leader in international marketing within the fast-moving consumer goods sector. Her research interests encompass (supra-)local governance issues related to urban sustainable development, including governance modes, responsibility allocations, climate justice, democratic governance (specifically legitimacy and accountability), and forms of citizen engagement, particularly the roles of citizen initiatives. Her key empirical interests lie in climate change adaptation governance. Heleen has played leading roles in transdisciplinary research projects over the past five years, including being the principal investigator for the BEAT HEAT project (2023-2027), which addresses 'heat poverty' through the lens of climate change adaptation and climate justice. She has also led parts of several interdisciplinary projects, including RISKSEC 2.0, TRANSADAPT, CCAFS, LOSS, and IMPETUS, focusing on governance arrangements in the context of climate change.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses