Bernice Van Der Kooij
Biography
Bernice van der Kooij joined the SHEVEX team at IHCantabria in November 2024 to contribute to the development of nature-based solutions (NbS) and hybrid solutions.
Originally from the Netherlands, Bernice completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering at Delft University of Technology, specialising in Hydraulic Engineering with a focus on coastal engineering during her master’s programme.
Her master’s thesis, conducted in collaboration with Deltares, explored the transient behaviour of low-frequency resonant waves over a fringing coral reef. Through this research, she developed a novel method for assessing the transient characteristics of low-frequency waves using the Hilbert-Huang Transform.
At IHCantabria, Bernice’s research focuses on developing a numerical tool for designing hybrid solutions and evaluating their effectiveness in reducing flood and erosion risks. Her work includes characterising these solutions and the ecosystems they are integrated in using satellite imagery, field data, and literature review. She performs numerical simulations in Delft3D to model the interaction of coastal dynamics with hybrid solutions, validating the tool and analysing their performance in mitigating flood and erosion risks.
With a strong connection to nature, Bernice values the opportunity to contribute to innovative NbS research at IHCantabria while appreciating the region’s remarkable environment.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Development of a numerical tool for designing hybrid solutions.
Characterising the hybrid solutions and the ecosystems they are integrated in using satellite imagery, field data, and literature review.
Publications
