
Chris Bézu
Chris is a glaciologist in the Mountain Hydrology group at Utrecht University. His research focuses on the interactions between glacier retreat, proglacial lake formation, and iceberg calving dynamics in the Lunana region of Bhutan. By combining numerical modeling with field observations, he aims to better assess local environmental risks — such as flooding and shifts in water availability — and to improve projections of glacier change across the broader Himalaya.
Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics from Simon Fraser University (Canada), a master’s degree in coastal and marine management from the University Centre of the Westfjords (Iceland), and a PhD in geological sciences from the University of Idaho (USA). Before joining Utrecht University, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, where he developed a numerical framework coupling ice flow, lake-driven flexure, and damage for Antarctic ice shelves.
His broader research interests include the physical mechanisms driving frontal ablation at the margins of tidewater and lake-terminating glaciers. He is particularly interested in the diversity of calving behaviours and their role in shaping ice mass balance under a changing climate.