Kris Kessels received her M.Sc. degree in commercial engineering from the University of Hasselt in 2004 and an advanced master in environmental science and technology in 2005 from the KULeuven. She has been working as a researcher at the Energy Technology department of VITO since March 2008. Her main activities include project management of and expert role in national and international projects concerning the Belgian and other European energy and flexibility markets (market design, value chain, pricing mechanisms,…), flexibility services and active system management, business cases related to Smart Grid applications and feasibility studies concerning the development of industrial and residential DR.