{"id":445,"date":"2026-03-18T12:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/wordpress\/?page_id=445"},"modified":"2026-06-07T21:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:07:46","slug":"personnel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/personnel\/","title":{"rendered":"Personnel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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IMRU is governed by a three-member Scientific Committee, with strategic guidance provided by an Advisory Board of migration experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scientific<\/strong> Committee<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Angelo Tramountanis<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Angelo Tramountanis is a researcher at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) in Athens, Greece, founder and coordinator of IMRU. He teaches the core course “Forced Migration” in the postgraduate “MSc in Media and Refugee\/Migration Flows” programme at the University of Athens and serves as an evaluator for the AMIF (Asylum Migration and Integration Fund).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angelo has coordinated and participated in a number of research programmes related to migration and refugees, most recently coordinating the Greek team in the international program “Social Protection Responses to Forced Displacement,” funded by the World Bank. His research and publication focuses on immigration and refugee policy, social integration of immigrants and refugees, the politicisation and securitisation of migration and the impact of science and technology in migration and border governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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George Kandylis is a Research Director at EKKE. His studies are in the fields of Political Science and Urban Social Geography and he has worked on research on contemporary migration and its consequences on urbanization processes in Greece. His research interests include issues of social segregation, inequalities, spatial mobility, racism and securitization in Greek urban space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stavros Nikiforos Spyrellis<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Stavros Spyrellis is a Senior Researcher at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) specialised on urban social geography. He has held teaching and research positions at several French and Greek universities. He is a graduate of the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, and holds postgraduate degrees from the Universit\u00e9 Paris I. He completed his doctoral thesis, titled \u201cSocial Division of the Athenian Metropolitan Area: Economic Factors and Educational Issues\u201d, at Universit\u00e9 Paris VII. His research focuses on the spatial analysis and mapping of social, economic, and educational segregation, with particular emphasis on the metropolitan area of Athens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advisory Board<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Angeliki Dimitriadi<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Angeliki Dimitriadi is a political scientist with an interest in irregular migration and asylum, as well as the interplay between migratory movement and policies of deterrence and protection. Her research focuses on migration management policies at external borders, migration governance in the EU and European foreign policy on migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angeliki is currently a non-resident fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin and Resident Faculty at College Year in Athens where she teaches courses on immigration as well as foreign policy. Previously she was Senior Research Fellow and Head of the migration program for the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (2012-2024). Between October 2015 and April 2016, she was visiting fellow in residence on migration and asylum policy at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She holds a PhD from Democritus University of Thrace on transit migration from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. She has an MA in War studies from King\u2019s College London and a BSc in International Relations & History from the London School of Economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eva Papatzani<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Eva (Evangelia) Papatzani is a Postdoctoral researcher in human geography and urban studies. She is currently the Principal Investigator of the research project \u2018UnSettle-Intersecting processes and experiences of urban displacements in Greece\u2019, implemented at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE). She is also an Adjunct Professor of Sociology of Space at the School of Architecture at the Technical University of Crete. She holds a PhD in Urban and Migration Studies, from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has extensive experience in designing, coordinating, and implementing international and national research projects, having collaborated with various universities and research centres in Greece and internationally. Her research interests include urban encounters with difference, interethnic relationships and micro-segregation in urban space, everyday racism, neighborhood and everyday life, urban displacements, the geographies of migrant and refugee settlement, gendered geographies, housing and urban policies, gentrification and touristification, refugee reception and accommodation, and urban transformations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iris Polyzou<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Iris Polyzou studied sociology and urban studies at the \u00c9cole des hautes \u00e9tudes en sciences sociales (EHESS). She obtained her PhD through joint supervision between the University of Poitiers (Migrinter Laboratory) and the National Technical University of Athens, Department of Urban and Regional Planning. She coordinated a four-year research project at the \u00c9cole fran\u00e7aise d\u2019Ath\u00e8nes on socio-spatial reconfigurations in Athens and is currently co-responsible for the Atlas Global Network research project at the same institution (EFA projet quinquennal, 2022\u20132026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has participated in and coordinated research projects funded by national and international institutions, including H2020, AMIF, and HFRI. Her publications include articles and book chapters in edited volumes, the co-editing of special journal issues (BCH-mc, Geographies) and a monograph examining the relationship between migration and urban space (Ville et Migrations Internationales, BEFAR, 2025). Her research interests focus on inequalities and segregation across multiple spatial scales, drawing on quantitative, qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. She is currently co-editing the greek translation of Camille Schmoll\u2019s monograph on gender and migration, Les damn\u00e9es de la mer. Femmes et fronti\u00e8res en M\u00e9diterran\u00e9e<\/em>, Editions La D\u00e9couverte, Paris, 2020, funded by NTUA and EHESS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dimitris Skleparis<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Dimitris Skleparis is Senior Lecturer in the Politics of Security at Newcastle University. He received his PhD in Political Science from Queen Mary University of London (2015) with a specialisation in the securitisation of migration and the politics of migrant activism. He also holds an MSc (Distinction) in Social Science Research Methods from the University of Bristol (2009), and a BA in Communication and Media from the University of Athens (2008). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has published in a range of international peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to several edited volumes, research project reports, and policy briefs. He also has considerable media and consultancy experience. Dimitris is the Co-Convenor of the Greek Politics Specialist Group (GPSG) of the Political Studies Association (PSA), and a member of the Scientific Board of the Greek Review of Social Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dimitris has previously worked as a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Glasgow and as an Internship Programme Lecturer and Coordinator at the University of California (Edinburgh Study Centre). He has also worked as a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow, and as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internship & training<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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IMRU actively supports the next generation of researchers working on migration by hosting interns, fellows and trainees at various stages of their academic careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unit currently hosts the following researchers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Thea Augustidis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (05\/2026 – 07\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Th\u00e9a is an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in the intersection of migration, social mobility, and regional politics. With five years of professional experience in the education sector, she bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing a practical understanding of the barriers to social mobility within migrant communities. Th\u00e9a is experienced in employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to analyse complex integration challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Th\u00e9a is currently pursuing a Master\u2019s degree in Southeast European Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in which she is conducting research on new environmental policy in Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Till Hanauer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Traineeships (04\/2026 – 08\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Till is a Master\u2019s student in sociology at GoetheUniversity in Frankfurt, currently doing an Erasmus Internship at the IMRU. His research interests focus on technology, the future of work, and changing modes of production, as well as their broader implications for society and democracy. His theoretical approach is grounded in critical theory, following the intellectual tradition of Goethe University. In addition, he likes programming and human languages, and enjoys experimenting with methods from computational social science and quantitative data analysis, as well as the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) for social science research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lara Naber<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (03\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lara has a background in economics and has contributed to research on digital inclusion and women\u2019s economic empowerment, including work on randomized controlled trials. She has been supporting implementation research to strengthen evidence-based education programmes across the MENA region. She is also pursuing a Master\u2019s degree in Media and Refugee Flows at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, focusing on migration, and economic & social integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Madalena Pegado<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (03\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Madalena is a multilingual translator fluent in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish, with experience in migrant integration and mediation in multicultural environments. She is currently pursuing a Master\u2019s in Media and Migration\/Refugee Flows at the Kapodistrian University in Athens, with the aim to research and forge pathways that facilitate exchange, connection and understanding between cross-cultural communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophia Potsi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (03\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sophia is a researcher employing interdisciplinary and visual methods, specialising in migration studies, social inequality, and the politics of space. With a focus on housing and spatial policies, her work is grounded in embedded fieldwork with Roma and refugee communities in Greece, where she combines qualitative and visual methods to examine social structures, humanitarian systems, and community resilience. Multilingual in Greek, English, Turkish, and Albanian, she is committed to producing ethically grounded research that informs policy and fosters social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Manon Simonart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (04\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Manon Simonart holds a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Law from the University of Bordeaux (France), with a specialization in International and European Law. She is currently enrolled in the Master\u2019s programme Media and Refugee\/Migration Flows at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), with a focus on cultural mediation, and the aim to examine the role of digital media in political activism within asylum-seeker camps in and around Athens.
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Angeliki Tzavara<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (03\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Graduate of the Department of Political Science and History at Panteion University and current MA candidate in “Media & Migration\/Refugee Flows” at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her academic focus lies at the intersection of historical context and contemporary mobility, with a specific interest in the role of new technologies in shaping migration narratives and facilitating social inclusion. Angeliki is driven by a commitment to using interdisciplinary research as a tool for social inclusion and meaningful cross-cultural exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cerys Williams<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship (03\/2026 – 06\/2026)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cerys has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Politics, where she specialised in trauma in the aftermath of conflict and migration. Most recently, she has worked as a health policy and public affairs consultant in London, before moving to Athens to study a Master\u2019s degree in Media and Refugee Flows at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is interested in research regarding sexual and reproductive health during migration, and the weaponisation of violence against women and girls within migration narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internships & Research Visits<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

IMRU welcomes students and early-career researchers interested in joining its activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unit offers internship placements, traineeships under the Erasmus+ Student Mobility programme and similar initiatives, as well as the hosting of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers pursuing their migration and refugee-related research in Greece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information, contact us at imru@ekke.gr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IMRU is governed by a three-member Scientific Committee, with strategic guidance provided by an Advisory Board of migration experts. Scientific Committee Angelo Tramountanis Angelo Tramountanis is a researcher at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) in Athens, Greece, founder and coordinator of IMRU. He teaches the core course “Forced Migration” in the postgraduate “MSc […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-445","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PhcU9x-7b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445"}],"version-history":[{"count":113,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1811,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions\/1811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}