Kirsten Van Fossen, PhD

CONSULTING PRINCIPAL

Kirsten Van Fossen is a researcher, educator, and consultant taking a transdisciplinary approach that draws on systems engineering, entrepreneurship, sustainability, business strategy, and technology and innovation management. Kirsten has expert knowledge in sustainable business model innovation, and brings a unique lens that blends social, environmental and economic value to drive multi-stakeholder collaboration, ideation, and action through custom-designed projects.

Kirsten helps a range of organizations—from startups to multinational corporations to public agencies—identify sustainability opportunities and strengthen their value propositions to each of their stakeholders. Kirsten completed her PhD with the Center for Industrial Sustainability at the University of Cambridge, under the mentorship of Professor Steve Evans, and explored business model innovation across a variety of organizations seeking to embed sustainability into their practices. One of the key research methods employed to study this phenomenon was action research—a methodology in which she embedded herself in organizations and worked iteratively with them to understand the root cause of their problems and collaboratively develop solutions.

With formative experiences leading and rowing on high performance teams at Harvard and the University of Cambridge, Kirsten brings a passion for cultivating team dynamics that enable both individuals and teams to thrive.

Kirsten has additionally worked as a sustainability professional in the US Department of Transportation, researched water challenges in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo, and completed a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering at Harvard.

CONTACT:

kvanfossen@miralto.com