University of the Aegean

Dimitra Kitsiou

Associate Professor, Scientific coordinator

Dimitra Kitsiou is Associate Professor in the Dept. of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Greece, Director of the Laboratory of Environmental Quality and Geospatial Applications and Director of the MSc ‘Integrated Coastal Management’. Her research interests focus on the development and application of methodologies using modern expertise in the framework of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for the study of the coastal environment, the quantitative and spatio-temporal assessment of marine eutrophication including the effect of extreme weather events, the circulation of sea water masses, the monitoring of sea water pollution and the estimation of fishing activity. Furthermore, on the development of methodologies and tools for coastal zone management and marine spatial planning, including webGIS applications, with the objective to support appropriate actions of the relevant public bodies. She has participated in many national and international research projects as researcher and scientific coordinator and has offered her services as an international expert in the European Union and other international organizations. She has a significant number of publications in international scientific journals, books and proceedings of international conferences.

Theodoros Nitis

Researcher

Theodoros Nitis holds a Bachelor degree in Environmental Sciences and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He is Teaching assistant and researcher at the Laboratory of Environmental Quality and Geospatial Applications of the Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Greece. His research interests focus on the development and application of methodologies for the assessment of environmental problems in coastal areas using numerical prediction models and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). In particular, on the study of atmospheric processes, sea-atmosphere interaction and climate change using Numerical Weather Prediction Models and Geoinformatics. He has participated in many national and international research projects and has offered his services as an external expert to the European Union as well as a reviewer in scientific journals. He has publications in international journals, conferences’ proceeding and book chapters.

Anastasia Patera

Researcher:

Anastasia Patera is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of the Aegean, Greece. She holds a PhD in the scientific area of developing tools for supporting decision-making in coastal zones, an MSc in Environmental Policy and Management, and a BSc in Marine Sciences. Her research focuses on developing methodologies and tools to support decision-making in coastal zone management and marine spatial planning. She specializes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), particularly web-based GIS applications, integrating spatial, geo-statistical, and multi-criteria analysis. She has published research articles in international journals and conferences. She has also participated in research projects focusing on marine spatial planning and the development of smart monitoring systems for coastal zones. In the winter semester of the academic year 2024–2025, she teaches Geoinformatics and Marine Spatial Planning at the Dept. of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Greece.

Marina Banela

Researcher:

Marina Banela is a PhD candidate at the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of the Aegean, Greece and an academic fellow of Onassis Foundation. She has received her BSc in Marine Sciences from the University of the Aegean, Greece and her MSc in Applied Geography and Spatial Planning – Geo-informatics from the Department of Geography of Harokopio University, Greece. Her research focuses on mapping and assessing coastal and marine ecosystem services through the use and development of geo-informatics tools, as well as on utilizing Geographic Information Systems in the context of marine spatial planning and coastal zone management. She has participated in several research projects and her research has been published in international scientific journals and conferences.

Ioannis Dimou

Researcher

Ioannis Dimou belongs to the IT staff of the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean. He studied Computer Science at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He then did her postgraduate studies in telecommunications and received his Masters Degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has been and is currently involved in research programs at the University of the Aegean, performing mainly software development work as well as computer support in various research projects. His research interests include the development of web and mobile applications with Android OS, PHP programming, and web design.

Norwegian University

Erin Bachynski-Polić

Researcher:

Erin Bachynski-Polić is a professor of marine structures in the Department of Marine Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She holds bachelor and master’s degrees in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan, and a PhD from NTNU, and has two years’ experience as a researcher at SINTEF Ocean. Her main research areas are numerical and experimental modelling of offshore wind turbine structures and novel marine structures, including hydroelasticity, nonlinear wave loads, structural response modelling, and optimization. Previous projects include development of numerical simulation tools for offshore wind turbines, including consideration of pitch actuator faults, drivetrain responses, and higher-order hydrodynamic loads, as well as real-time hybrid testing of a semi-submersible wind turbine. 

Vishnu Ramachandran Nair Rajasree

Researcher

Vishnu is a PhD candidate at the Department of Marine Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. He has a Bachelor of Technology degree in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding from Cochin University, India, and an MSc in Marine Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. His research focuses on understanding the behavior of floating offshore wind turbines when they become part of a wind farm with shared mooring. He has experience in numerical simulations of floating wind turbines, with a focus on the mooring systems.