Researchers

Director

Dr. Katerina Mavrou

Members

Dr. Maria Tsakiri is a Lecturer at the European University Cyprus with 15 years of experience in teaching and supporting disabled students and children in primary, further and higher education. She lectures on the theoretical perspectives and implications of Disability Studies and Inclusive Education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her current research interests lie in inclusive education, body politics and the politics of disability, crip activism, as well as cultural representations of disability and intersectionality. She is an active member of the Disability Research Edinburgh network which is coordinated by the University of Edinburgh. She organised and chaired educational events that aimed to bring together students, scholars, disabled activists and filmmakers. This initiative was successfully granted funding and it was part of the Festival of Creative Learning at the University of Edinburgh. Her current involvement with disability activism and her expertise in critical disability studies has led to new collaborations with Schools of Education and Inclusive Education, Disability Research Fora and autonomous feminist research centres in the UK and Greece. This ongoing engagement with inclusive education and critical disability studies has led to the development of an international network of disabled artists, activists and scholars, that has allowed her to integrate knowledge from the field in her undergraduate and postgraduate modules; modules designed to examine not only the educational policies and pedagogical approaches that promote and support the rights of disabled people, but also the inequalities, oppression and practices of exclusion that they commonly face.

Dr. Pavlina Psychouli is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and coordinator of the BSc Occupational Therapy (OT) Program at European University of Cyprus (EUC). Her research interests are on the field of neuroplasticity, recovery from neuronal damage, mainly cerebrovascular accident and cerebral palsy. Dr. Psychouli has worked as a clinician for many years, mostly with pediatric populations and adults with neurological disorders. She is a certified CIMT therapist from the University of Birmingham in Alabama, USA. The last years, she has extended her professional interest and activities in the field of refugees and asylum seekers’ social integration. She is also the co-coordinator of the Assistive Technology, Disabilities and Inclusive Education Research Unit.

Dr. Eleni Theodorou is Associate Professor in Social Foundations of Education at the Department of Education Sciences at the European University Cyprus where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the social and cultural foundations of education. She earned her doctorate from the University of Virginia with a focus on anthropology of education. Her research interests include sociological and anthropological constructions of childhood, children’s identities, multicultural education politics and policy, family involvement, and sociological understandings of teacher professional identities, mainly investigated through qualitative research methodologies. She has participated in various locally and internationally funded projects. A number of these have been European co-funded projects which deal specifically with issues of social inclusion, such as the design and provision of training for parents of children with autism (ESIPP), the integration of immigrant families through comics (BONDS), and the empowerment of deaf youth (SIDE). Her work has been published in international peer review journals and in edited book volumes. 

Dr. Constadina Charalambous is an Assistant Professor of Language Education & Literacy at the European University Cyprus where she teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She holds a PhD in Sociolinguistics & Education (King’s College, 2009). Her main research interests evolve around language education, literacy and multilingualism, in relation to larger cultural and socio-political ideologies. She has also a long-standing interest in teacher training and teacher professional development and has been involved in many teacher education programmes (topics include: Peace Education, Human Rights Education, Refugee Education, Digital Literacy, etc). Her most recent work focuses on (a) issues of language, identity and political mobilization in Diaspora: she is currently coordinating a project funded by Restart Excellent Hubs (RIF) entitled “Politicization of Identity in Diaspora”; and (b)  the use of technology and augmented reality for literacy and literature teaching: as part of two K2 Erasmus+ projects (“The Living Book Project” and “Readtwinning”). Her work is published in various international journals, edited volumes, and special issues. She has also co-authored monograph at CUP (2016), co-edited a Special Issue at the Journal of Sociolinguistics (2020), and she is currently co-editing a book (Taylor & Francis).She has received funding from Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, Fulbright and European Union.

Prof. Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris is a Professor at the European University Cyprus (EUC), Director of the ICT Enhanced Education Research Laboratory, and Head of Education and Training Services at the Center of Excellence in Innovation and Technology. She has a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education (University of Texas at Austin), an M.Sc. in Statistics (University of Texas at Austin), an M.Sc. in Engineering (University of Texas at Austin), an M.A. in Open and Distance Learning (UK Open University), a B. A. in Mathematics (University of Texas at Austin), and Teacher’s Certification in Primary Education. She has engaged extensively in research and has established a respected research record through numerous publications in scholarly international journals and books, and repeated invitations to participate in international conferences. Indicative EU-funded programs in which she has participated in the capacity of coordinator or research collaborator, include H2020, Erasmus+, LLP-Grundtvig, Socrates Minerva and Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci, Tempus, and Eureka. All of these multinational programs focus on technology-enabled STEAM education, specifically on the use of serious games and other technological tools in STEAM teaching and learning at the school and higher education level, and in vocational training. Dr. Meletiou-Mavrotheris’ past research activity includes the coordination of the EU-funded projects EarlyStatistics: Enhancing the Teaching and Learning of Early Statistical Reasoning in European Schools, SMASH: Helping Parents to Help their Children Excel in Math and Science, and Living Book – Augmenting Reading For Life.

Dr. Chrystalla Papademetri

Marianna Efstathiadou

Affiliated Researchers

Dr. Simoni Symeonidou, University of Cyprus

Interns and Research Associates

Dr. Nayia Stylianidou is a Scientific Collaborator at the Department of Education, European University Cyprus. She holds a PhD in the area of Inclusive Education (European University Cyprus), MA in Special Needs (University of Nottingham) and a BA in History and Archaeology  (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). Her research interests focus on Inclusive Education, Disability Studies, Disability Studies in Education, Universal Design for Learning, Blended Learning, Augmented Reality, Alternate Reality Games, Teachers’ professional development, Media Literacy. She has participated in projects involving teachers, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds with regards to education, digital technologies and immersive technologies (eg. Living Book: Augmenting Reading for Life). Currently, she is participating in projects related to blended learning and inclusive education (BLENDI – Blended learning for inclusion), to media literacy (European Media Coach Initiative) and to a project focusing on effective strategies and tools to promote love for reading among young people (ReadTwinning-Connecting students through shared interests to develop a love for reading).

Ourania Anastasiou was awarded a BSc degree in Pre-School Education and Care from the Pedagogical Department of Preschool Education and Care, The University of Thessaly, where she completed her studies in 2009 with honors. In 2011, she was awarded a Master’s degree in Special Education with distinction from the University of Nicosia. Today, she is a PhD student at the European University of Cyprus. Her research interests focus on school readiness and issues related to monitoring quality of Preschool Education. She has work experience in public and private schools in Greece as a pre-school educator.

Athena Katsouli graduated with a BSc degree in Computers Science from Indiana State University, USA, where she completed her studies in 1993. In 2020, she received her Master’s degree in Special (Inclusive) Education from the European University of Cyprus. Today, she is working in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth of Cyprus, in the Information and Communication Technology department. She also has worked for many years in public and private sector schools of Secondary Education as a Computer Science teacher. Prior to this she had worked in the private sector as head of the department of Information and Communication Technology of a company. The last years she participated in the development of the Digital Technologies Curriculum in Primary Education and worked as a trainee of the Primary School Teachers in the Digital Technologies subject. Simultaneously, she participated in the development of the learning material of Digital Technologies in Primary Education and in the development of educational material for the subject of Computer Science in Secondary General Education. She is a member of the workgroup committee for the New Digital Technologies and Innovations in Education Committee for Public Schools. Additionally, she attends seminars of her interests.

Dr Elena Anastasiou is employed as a Scientific Collaborator at the European University Cyprus and she is the Education Officer at KES College. She has been awarded her PhD in Education from the University of Manchester in 2017. She has obtained her B.Ed in Primary Education from the University of Cyprus and M.A in Special Needs from the University of Nottingham and MSc in Educational Research at the University of Manchester. Her research interests are concerned with the areas of inclusive education, learning difficulties and dyslexia, teachers’ professional development and digital technologies. Dr Anastasiou has extensive working experience in research projects and in the past she has worked as an external research consultantas, a senior researcher and project manager in a number of EU projects. She is currently involved into projects which focus on blended learning and inclusive education (BLENDI – Blended learning for Inclusion), and to the use of digital technologies in STEM lessons in Education (STEM in Education).