Prof. Bahire Efe Özad is a Professor in the Department of Television and Film Studies at Eastern Mediterranean University's Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. She holds a PhD and multiple master's degrees in education and English language teaching. Her research focuses on media studies, social media impact, communication theory, environmental sociology, cinema analysis, and intercultural communication. She has supervised over 80 PhD and Master's theses, reflecting her extensive academic mentorship. Her notable works include analyses of sacred defense cinema, pandemic governance in Northern Cyprus, and systematic reviews on fake news scholarship. She has conducted impactful studies on marital sustainability during the pandemic, Nigerian election media framing, and digital natives' social media use. Her research spans diverse areas including ICT's environmental impact, romantic relationship dynamics, and blog reader engagement. Prof. Özad has led projects like analyzing communication barriers for African students and exploring original scores in film. She maintains an active academic presence through Google Scholar and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals. Her teaching and research activities emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to media, communication, and social dynamics.
Professor Ioannis Katakis is a Faculty Member at the University of Nicosia, where he is affiliated with the School of Sciences and Engineering and the Department of Computer Science. He has held various academic positions across multiple institutions including Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology, Open University of Cyprus, Hellenic Open University, Athens University of Economics and Business, and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His educational background includes a PhD in Machine Learning for Automated Text Classification (2005-2009), a Master's in Information Systems (2005-2007), and a Bachelor's in Computer Science (2000-2004), all from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Professor Katakis specializes in several cutting-edge areas of computer science and data analysis. His primary research interests include Mining Social, Web and Urban Data , Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining , Data Streams , and Multi-label Learning . His work bridges theoretical machine learning approaches with practical applications in social media analysis, healthcare informatics, privacy protection, and smart city technologies. He has published extensively in top venues including CIKM, ECML/PKDD, IEEE TKDE, and ECAI. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward applying machine learning techniques to real-world problems with societal impact. He has focused on areas such as GDPR compliance in smart devices, sentiment analysis in crowd-sourced content, healthcare applications including drug reaction classification and brain disease monitoring, and privacy protection in wearable technologies. His work often involves multi-modal data analysis and addresses challenges in data streams and multi-label classification. Professor Katakis has made significant contributions to his field, with his research cited over 4,200 times. He serves as an Editor for the journal Information Systems and has edited four special issues in journals such as DAMI and InfSys. He regularly contributes to the academic community by serving on program committees for major conferences including ECML/PKDD, WSDM, DEBS, and IJCAI, and by reviewing for prestigious journals like TPAMI, DMKD, TKDE, TKDD, JMLR, TWEB, and ML. He has been actively involved in European research projects, notably serving as Quality Assurance Coordinator and Senior Researcher for projects such as VAVEL (www.vavel-project.eu) and INSIGHT (www.insight-ict.eu). His grant activities demonstrate a strong focus on collaborative, interdisciplinary research with practical applications in urban data management, social media analysis, and healthcare informatics. He has organized three workshops at major conferences (ICML, ECML/PKDD, EDBT/ICDT) and has extensive experience translating research into practical applications through his involvement in European projects.
Dr. Vagia Polyzoidou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Law at the University of Cyprus, serving as Associate Head of Department and Programme Coordinator. She is a Member of the Senate and holds an academic rank of Associate Professor. Her expertise spans Criminal Law, Cybercrime Legislation, and Gender-Based Violence. She earned her Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD in Law from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a specialization in Criminal Law and Criminology. Education: Bachelor of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Master of Law (Criminal Law and Criminology), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki PhD in Law (Criminal Law), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Her research focuses on cybercrime, digital violence against women, EU legal frameworks for electronic evidence, and legal responses to social issues like fat shaming. She has an h-index of 8 and 101 citations, with active research since 2011. Notable contributions include work on the Budapest Convention, psychosocial interventions in legal contexts, and violence against women. Her recent publications (2023–2024) address EU e-evidence regulations, legal approaches to sexual harassment in Greece, and protections for minor victims through exceptional criminal provisions. She has collaborated internationally on criminal justice policies and cybercrime legislation. Dr. Polyzoidou’s work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those addressing gender equality and quality education. She maintains an active Scopus profile and contributes to academic discourse through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.
Christos Nicolaides is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Business and Public Administration within the School of Economics and Management at the University of Cyprus (UCY), holding a secondary appointment as a Digital Fellow at MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy. Previously, he spent three years as a James McDonnell Foundation-funded Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management. His educational background includes a PhD in Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014), SM from MIT (2011), MSc in Applied Mathematics from Imperial College London (2009), and BSc in Physics from University of Thessaloniki (2008). Nicolaides' research applies mathematical, statistical, and computational tools to large-scale empirical questions in social influence mediated by digital technologies. His work spans Data Science , Machine Learning , Social Networks , and Computational Social Science , with significant contributions to understanding human mobility patterns, disease transmission dynamics, and social contagion effects. His research has established novel methodologies for analyzing complex network structures in mobility data and social interactions. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent focus on applying network science to real-world problems, particularly in pandemic response (12 publications), human mobility analytics (9 publications), and social contagion dynamics (7 publications). His work demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary integration, combining computer science, epidemiology, and organizational behavior since 2020. Marie S. Curie Fellow Two Highly Cited Papers by Web of Science (2017, 2020) Best Paper Award by Risk Analysis Society (2019) Professor of The Week by Poets & Quants (2020) As principal institutional investigator, Nicolaides has secured over €1 million in research funding from the European Commission, industry partners, Cyprus Innovation and Research Foundation, and Cyprus Ministry of Health. His current teaching includes Social Networks and Entrepreneurship, Introduction to Operations Management, and Quantitative Methods in Management. Media coverage of his work spans major outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Nature, and Science, with significant impact on public health policy discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Barçin Boğacı is an academic at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies of Eastern Mediterranean University, specializing in Television and Film Studies. Their research focuses on cinema history in Cyprus, nationalism, and the socio-political dimensions of cinemagoing practices. They hold a PhD from the University of İletişim (2016-2020), an MA from the same institution (1888-2007), and a BA in Radio, TV, and Film (1888-2004). Research interests include the intersection of cinema with colonialism/decolonialism, national identity formation, and cultural memory in divided societies. Notable works analyze Turkish Cypriot cinema audiences during the 1950s-1970s, exploring how cinema spaces became sites of nationalist discourse. Current research includes a project on cinema's potential in emergency peacebuilding and the social interactions of cinema during Cyprus' colonial/postcolonial transitions. Supervised theses address topics like Iranian cinema's impact on social movements and semiotic analyses of Netflix series.
Professor George Giaglis is a prominent academic in the School of Business at the University of Cyprus, serving as Director of the Institute for the Future. He holds a PhD in Information Systems from Brunel University and a BSc (Hons) in Information Systems from the Athens University of Economics and Business. His academic journey includes roles such as Professor, Vice Rector, and Associate Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business (2002–2017) and prior positions at the University of the Aegean and Brunel University. His research focuses on blockchain technology, IoT, digital currencies, and pervasive information systems. He has contributed to over 200 publications, exploring topics like blockchain integration in marine systems, NFTs, CBDCs, and social network dynamics. His work bridges technology and business, addressing digital transformation challenges and ethical implications of emerging technologies. Giaglis has organized major conferences like Decentralized 2019 and contributed to EU blockchain policy discussions. His research emphasizes practical applications of technology in sectors like healthcare, finance, and urban logistics. Despite prolific output, no specific awards are noted, though his h-index of 25 reflects significant academic impact. His current roles involve advancing the Institute for the Future’s projects, advising on digital innovation strategies, and mentoring researchers in decentralized systems. Ongoing work includes exploring AI-blockchain synergies and regulatory frameworks for digital currencies.
Dr. Christos Anagnostopoulos serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Management (specializing in sports) and Director of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Central Lancashire Cyprus. He holds a PhD from Coventry University and has taught at institutions including Coventry University and Molde University College. His research focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sport, governance, and social media's role in sport organizations. He has authored/co-authored books like the Routledge Handbook of Football Business and Management and Research Handbook on Sport Governance . Dr. Anagnostopoulos has secured €1.9 million in EU grants for projects such as GReFORM (enhancing sport governance) and SPRING (family business succession planning). He advises the Cyprus Sport Organisation on governance and strategic planning. His teaching roles include MBA Distance Learning Director and leadership of courses like Sport Tourism and Management Consulting. His awards include the EURAM Best Paper Award (2015) and EASM New Researcher Award (2013). He sits on editorial boards for journals like European Sport Management Quarterly and contributes to international conferences. Professional memberships span the European Association for Sport Management (EASM) and North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM).
Prof. Dr. Fatih Bayraktar is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Eastern Mediterranean University , where he has been actively researching adolescent behavior, cyberbullying, and digital media impacts since 2004. Education: PhD in Psychology (2009), MA in Psychology (2002), BA in Psychology (1998) from Hacettepe University, Ege University, and Middle East Technical University respectively. His research focuses on adolescent psychology , cyberbullying , developmental psychology , and cross-cultural studies . Recent publications analyze social identity in gaming spaces, sharenting dynamics, and bullying predictors in sports contexts across multiple countries. Key trends in his 15 most recent articles include cross-cultural victimization studies , time perspective theory , digital piracy ethics , and peer attachment in cyberbullying . Collaborations span six countries, emphasizing ecological and longitudinal frameworks. He supervises PhD and Master’s theses on topics like adolescent decision-making , sleep patterns and attention , and parental vaccine hesitancy . Books and chapters address cyberbullying prevention, time perspective theory, and parenting strategies in digital contexts.
Myria Ioannou is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Department of Management and Marketing, European University Cyprus. She serves as Chairperson of her department and coordinates the BBA Marketing Communications & Social Media program. Her academic career began in 1998 with a BSc in Business, Finance, and Economics from the University of East Anglia, followed by an MSc in Marketing from Manchester School of Management (UMIST) in 2002 and a PhD in Marketing from The University of Manchester in 2009. Her research focuses on digital marketing competencies, visitor experiences in cultural heritage, tourism policy, and consumer behavior in banking and retail contexts. She has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to international conferences. Notable projects include the Erasmus+-funded DIMAS project (2019-2021) on digital marketing competencies in secondary schools. Her research interests span digital transformation in marketing, sustainable tourism through cultural heritage, and cross-cultural brand equity analysis. She actively reviews for journals like the International Journal of Tourism Policy and Journal of Services Marketing. Awards include a Fulbright Scholarship and bursaries for advanced marketing workshops. Her work bridges academic insights with practical applications, such as advising on visitor experience management in island destinations and exploring CRM strategies' effectiveness across industries. Education: PhD in Marketing, The University of Manchester (2009) MSc in Marketing, Manchester School of Management, UMIST (2002) BSc (Hons) in Business, Finance, and Economics, University of East Anglia (1998) Awards & Recognition: Fulbright Scholarship for Graduate Study Bursaries for Services Marketing Workshop and Academy of Marketing Conference Doctoral Colloquium Professional Roles: Co-editor for Special Issue on “Establishing innovative products and processes in tourism” (International Journal of Tourism Policy) Reviewer for leading journals including Journal of Services Marketing and International Journal of Bank Marketing Her research demonstrates a focus on applying marketing principles to real-world challenges, from digital education frameworks to sustainable tourism policies. Recent work emphasizes leveraging visitor experiences to enhance cultural heritage sites' management and cross-cultural branding strategies.
Dr. Christiana Varda is a Lecturer and Course Leader of the BSc (Hons) Media Production at UCLan Cyprus. She holds a PhD in Communication and Internet Studies (ongoing), an MA in Interactive Multimedia, and dual BAs in Journalism and English from Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on emotions, epistemic cognition, and informal learning in digital environments, particularly addressing misinformation and media literacy. She has presented at international conferences like ICLS and EARLI, and her work has been recognized with the ICLS Best Student Paper nomination. Varda also leads research projects on combating misinformation and has secured grants from the European Commission and the US Department of State. She is actively involved in media literacy initiatives, workshops, and academic societies such as ISLS and EARLI. **Education:** PhD Communication and Internet Studies (Cyprus University of Technology, 2019–present) MA Interactive Multimedia (Cyprus University of Technology, 2016) BA Journalism and English (Pennsylvania State University, 2005) **Research Interests:** Christiana explores how emotions and cognitive processes shape online information evaluation, aiming to design learning environments that foster critical citizenship. Her work intersects media literacy, digital journalism, and science communication. **Grants and Awards:** Lead researcher on the EU-funded VERITY project (2022–2025) Recipient of the Cyprus State Scholarship (2020–present) ICLS Best Student Paper Nominee (2022) **Teaching and Administration:** As Course Leader, she oversees modules like Introduction to Media Literacy and Video Post-Production. She also serves on the ERASMUS committee and has organized workshops on data journalism and media literacy. **Outreach:** Varda founded the NGO Media What and co-organizes events like the Digital Journalism Against Misinformation series. She has delivered invited talks at TEDx Larnaca and international conferences, advocating for critical media engagement.
Yrd. Doç. Dr. Ibrahim Adeshola is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Final University. His research focuses on digital transformation, cybersecurity, e-learning, environmental sustainability, renewable energy, and educational technology. He has published extensively on topics including the impact of social commerce on MSMEs, cybersecurity awareness among students, and the relationship between technological innovation and environmental degradation. His work often employs mixed methods and advanced statistical techniques like PLS-SEM and quantile regression. Research interests include addressing challenges in digital education, mitigating environmental impacts of energy consumption, and analyzing policy frameworks for sustainability. His recent studies explore the asymmetric effects of fossil fuels and FDI on ecological footprints, as well as the role of renewable energy in achieving COP27 targets. He has also investigated cultural dimensions influencing management practices in multicultural environments and consumer behavior on social platforms like Instagram. Despite notable contributions, no academic awards or administrative roles are explicitly mentioned. His publications span interdisciplinary topics, reflecting a commitment to bridging technology, education, and environmental science.
Philippe Jougleux is an Associate Professor at the Department of Law, European University, Cyprus, specializing in EU Law, Internet Law, and Digital Rights. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Aix-Marseille III and has taught at multiple institutions including the Open University of Cyprus and the National School of Judges (Greece). His research focuses on cybersecurity, intellectual property, data protection (GDPR), and the intersection of technology with legal frameworks. He has authored/co-authored over 20 books and numerous articles on topics like cybercrime, copyright law, and open justice. Key achievements include the 2016 EUC research award and advisory roles in EU projects like MANDOLA and INSPEC2T. He serves on editorial boards for journals like Chronicles of Computer Law and chairs the law journal ENTHA at EUC. Education: PhD in Law (Aix-Marseille III, 2002) Postgraduate in Media Law (Aix-Marseille III, 1999) LL.B. (Lille II, 1993) Research: Explores digital transformation impacts on justice systems and privacy Expert on EU legal harmonization challenges in cybercrime and intellectual property Grants & Projects: EU-funded cybersecurity initiatives (e.g., Center of Excellence for Cybercrime) Advisory roles in GDPR training and hate speech moderation Labs/Teams: Founder of the EDPI organization promoting copyright law Member of the Digital Rights Foundation’s evaluation board
Dr. Andri Christodoulou is a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Neapolis University of Pafos (NUP), where she coordinates the MSc in Counselling Psychology program and directs the Counselling Center for Research and Psychological Services (SKEPSI). She holds a Doctorate in Clinical-Child Psychology (Pace University) and two Master’s degrees in School Psychology (Pace University) and Experimental Psychology (Long Island University). Her professional roles include clinical work with children, adolescents, and adults at psychotherapeutic centers, and she served as Clinical Coordinator at a Residential Treatment Facility for adolescents. She is a Registered Clinical Psychologist in Cyprus and active member of the Cyprus Psychologists Association and American Psychological Association. Research focuses on digital addiction (nomophobia, social media impacts), mental health during crises (COVID-19 pandemic), and psychosocial development in youth. Key areas include post-pandemic mental well-being, conspiracy theory effects, and educational resilience. Her work integrates clinical practice with academia, emphasizing holistic approaches to mental health challenges in evolving societal contexts. She collaborates with institutions like the Dr. Yiota Demetriou Foundation to provide psychological services to vulnerable populations.
Emine Temizkan Sekizler is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing at the School of Health Services, Eastern Mediterranean University. She holds a PhD in Women's Health and Diseases Nursing (2025), MS in Nursing (2018), and BS in Nursing (2016). Her research focuses on women's health, sexual health, nursing education innovations, and pandemic impacts on healthcare. Notable work includes studies on breastfeeding counseling technology, sexual health during the pandemic, and time management among nursing students. Education Background: PhD in Women's Health and Diseases Nursing (2025) MS in Nursing (2018) BS in Nursing (2012-2016) Research Interests: Nursing education technology integration Women's sexual health across lifespan Public health responses to pandemics Infertility care and counseling Chronobiology in maternal health Selected Projects: Women's Cancer Awareness Project (2019-2020) Professional Contributions: Active member of nursing education conferences Co-authored chapters on infertility nursing and chronic pain management
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ülfet Kutoğlu Kuruç is a faculty member in the Department of Public Relations and Advertising at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Eastern Mediterranean University. She holds a PhD in Communication from Marmara University (2002), an MA in English Language and Visual Arts Education from Sussex University (1994), and a BA in English Language and Literature from Eastern Mediterranean University (1993). Her research interests focus on digital media's societal impact, crisis communication strategies, social media marketing, and interpersonal communication dynamics in educational and political contexts. She has supervised numerous theses addressing topics such as social media's role in international student adaptation during the pandemic, crisis management by Nigerian FMCG companies, and political activism via social media in developing nations. Prof. Kuruç has advised over 11 master's and doctoral students, with notable works including a comparative generational study on technology-mediated communication in North Cyprus and analyses of media narratives in Nigerian and Zimbabwean political contexts. Her office is located at FCMS - M 305, and she can be reached via +90 392 630 1041.
