Ester van der Voet is an Associate Professor at Leiden University in the Department Industrial Ecology of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML). Within the field of Industrial Ecology, she specialises in methodology development: life-cycle assessment, material flow analysis, substance flow analysis, natural resource accounting, and indicator development. She applies these methodologies to different topical areas, especially within the bio-based economy and in metals and the circular economy.

Ester has initiated two MSc programs in Industrial Ecology. She has conducted many research projects for the EU and in other international consortia. She is a member of UNEP's International Resource Panel and one of the leading authors of one of UNEP's International Resource Panel's reports: "Environmental challenges of anthropogenic metals flows and cycles".