Wouter Botzen

Prof. Wouter Botzen holds a dual role as a full Professor of Economics of Global Environmental Change at the Utrecht University School of Economics and Professor of Economics of Climate Change and Natural Disasters at VU University Amsterdam's Department of Environmental Economics, where he also serves as Head of the department. He is a senior research fellow at the Wharton School's Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. His work bridges environmental economics, risk analysis, and policy design.

Botzen earned his MSc in Economics from Maastricht University (2005–2006) and completed his PhD at VU University Amsterdam (2006–2009). His academic career includes prior roles as Associate and Assistant Professor at VU University (2010–2016) and visiting scholar positions at institutions in the U.S. and Spain.

His research focuses on climate change economics, behavioral responses to disaster risks, valuation of natural environments, and flood risk management. He emphasizes integrating behavioral insights into policy tools, such as insurance mechanisms to incentivize risk reduction and adaptation. Key projects include Future Deltas, NATURVATION, and Pathways to Sustainability, which explore urban resilience, nature-based solutions, and socio-economic tipping points from climate impacts.

Botzen has received prestigious awards such as the Vidi and Veni scholarships from NWO, the Lloyd's Science of Risk Prize, and multiple best-paper awards in Risk Analysis. His grants include EU-funded initiatives like NATURVATION and Dutch-funded projects on sustainable energy governance.

He collaborates extensively with academic teams and policymakers, contributing to global studies on flood risk, carbon pricing, and climate adaptation policies. His work aims to address systemic challenges in risk mitigation and resource allocation through interdisciplinary frameworks.