Monica Siakou

Monica Siakou is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the European University of Cyprus. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of London (Birkbeck), an M.Sc. in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from UCL, and a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Sheffield. Her work focuses on child development, school violence prevention, play's role in learning, and maltreatment interventions. She has led projects addressing bullying in schools, harassment in sports, and health behavior communication.

Major research contributions include analyzing changes in children’s after-school activities, evaluating drama’s impact on bullying understanding, and developing serious games to prevent abuse in sports. She coordinates initiatives such as the European-funded 'Halting Harassment and Abuse in Sports using Learning Technologies' and the national 'Keep our Children Safe in Cyprus' program. She has advised the Cyprus Police and UNESCO on child welfare policies, and organized public events like the Researchers Night 2016–2017 promoting play advocacy.

Her academic roles include representing Cyprus in the European Federation of Psychologists Association’s Education Psychology Council and overseeing psychologist training programs at refugee support organizations. Current projects involve gender stereotypes in youth sports, policy sustainability for child safety, and mental fitness programs for older adults.