Anthi Oikonomou

Summary

Anthí Oikonomou is a biologist and ichthyologist with extensive experience in teaching, research, and project management. She graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2010 and completed her PhD in biodiversity conservation, with a focus on the ecology and conservation of freshwater fish, at the Department of Biological Applications and Technology of the University of Ioannina in 2016. Her research findings were awarded at the 14th European Congress of Ichthyology (2012), and she received an honourable mention from the Hellenic Ecological Society. During her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, she received a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) and undertook training at internationally recognised research institutions, including the Department of Biology at the University of the Azores (Portugal) and the MARBEC research unit (CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, University of Montpellier, France). Seeking to enhance her teaching qualifications and improve the application of learning theories, innovative teaching methods, and educational tools in higher education, she successfully completed, with distinction, the Postgraduate Programme in Biology Education, jointly offered by the Department of Biology and the Department of Primary Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2023. Between 2016 and 2022, she is teaching at three Greek university departments,  receiving excellent evaluations from students, particularly regarding her teaching methodology and the educational tools she employed.

Her postdoctoral research focuses on conservation biology, with particular emphasis on monitoring endemic freshwater species and species of Community interest in Natura 2000 protected areas, within the framework of the implementation of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). This research was conducted at the Department of Biology of NKUA (2019–2020), with funding from the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI), and subsequently (2020–2022) at the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), supported by an IKY scholarship. Her research also addresses the environmental management of freshwaters through participation in the national monitoring programme for surface water quality and the assessment of environmental degradation in Greece, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). In addition, she investigates the impacts of climate change on the fish diversity of Greek rivers and the development of adaptation measures, contributing to a sustainable green transition.

She has extensive experience in managing European and national research projects, having participated in 27 operational and research projects, four of which she coordinated as Principal Investigator. She has collaborated with the University of Ioannina (2012–2016), NKUA (2021–2023), and HCMR (2018–present). 

At the international level, she is an active member of the scientific community. In recent years, she has contributed as an instructor to the summer school “Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria and Ghana,” supporting the development of scientific research in West Africa. She serves as Secretary of the European Ichthyological Society and is a member of the Editorial Board of the international journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (Impact Factor: 2.8). She is a certified assessor of species extinction risk in accordance with the standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a contributing author of the European Red List of Freshwater Fishes (2025). In parallel, she actively participates in international initiatives aimed at harmonising data collection and sampling methods and integrating biodiversity monitoring data through her involvement in the European Biodiversity Observation Network and the Freshwater Biodiversity Observation Network.

She has completed 10 specialised training courses in data analysis and has authored at least 27 peer-reviewed articles in international scientific journals, seven book chapters/books (h-index = 11), and more than 60 additional publications and contributions, including conference proceedings, technical reports, translations, working group contributions, and presentations at international and national conferences.