Maria Adamakou is a PhD candidate at the University of Thessaly in the Department of Planning and Regional Development. Her doctoral research focuses on the structural and economic relationships between higher education institutions and regional growth. She is an active member of the Development Policy Laboratory at the University of Thessaly and of the Energy Transition Laboratory at the University of Western Macedonia. Her main research interests include regional development, institutions, human capital, regional policy, regional resilience, and energy transition. She has participated in several European research projects—including HORIZON, ESPON, INTERREG, and ERASMUS+—as well as various national research initiatives. Furthermore, she has published several papers in high-quality scientific journals. Her academic foundation includes a Master’s in European Regional Development Studies and a degree in International and European Economics from the University of Macedonia, which was further enriched by a period of study at Ghent University in Belgium. 

Iasonas Apostolakis is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Spatial Planning, Urban Planning, and Regional Development at the University of Thessaly. He is a graduate of the Department of International and European Economic and Political Studies at the University of Macedonia and holds a master’s degree (MSc in economics) from Tilburg University (Tilburg, Netherlands). He works as a financial auditor in the General Directorate of Financial Audits of the General Accounting Office Greece (GAO). He is a member of the Greek section of the European Regional Science Association. He has served as a municipal councilor in the Municipality of Volos and as a member of various committees and legal entities. His main research interests include issues of economic development, regional development, regional inequalities, institutional economics, local government, and fiscal policies.He has participated in a significant number of academic conferences.

Margarita Iliadou is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly and a research member of the Laboratory for Evaluation of Policies and Development Programs. She is an Economist and holds a master’s degree in applied economics. Her research focuses on the field of Regional Development, with particular emphasis on the analysis of individual and collective goals aimed at enhancing economic and social well-being. Furthermore, her work explores the integration of Citizen Science into the development process, aiming to link economic analysis with the active participation of society in development planning. As part of her research activity, she participates in the HORIZON EUROPE project FOODMISSION and the Interreg Euro-MED project RECIRCLE MED. She has presented her work at both national and international scientific conferences.

Georgia Milpani is a PhD candidate in the Department of Planning and Regional Development at the University of Thessaly. Her doctoral research focuses on regional development, port economics, and maritime transport, with particular emphasis on sustainable and smart ports. She holds a Master’s degree in Planning and Development of Tourism and Culture from the University of Thessaly (2025) and a Bachelor’s degree in Maritime Studies from the University of Piraeus (2009). She has professional experience in the shipping sector, where she worked in accounting and shipping operations support roles, shaping her research interests in port development and maritime systems. She has presented research at academic conferences on the factors influencing port integration into cruise networks. In parallel, she has been involved in higher education through teaching Chinese language and intercultural communication, contributing to an international and interdisciplinary academic profile.

Pelagia Moloni is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly. She holds both a bachelor’s degree from the same department and a master’s degree in Tourism and Cultural Planning and Development (TCPD) from the University of Thessaly. She has also attended specialized seminars at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in the fields of Communication, Tourism Promotion, and Tourism Activity. Her main research interests include economic and regional development, tourism sustainability, regional inequalities, and policies addressing tourism seasonality. She has participated in numerous international and national conferences and serves as an academic scholar in the European research program Interreg Euro-MED Sustainable Tourism Mission. She has published scientific articles in reputable academic journals, focusing on tourism development and contemporary challenges in the tourism sector. She has served as a teaching assistant in undergraduate courses and has delivered lectures in the postgraduate program.

Aikaterini Rokkou is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, with an academic and professional focus on local and regional development, strategic planning, the use of innovative tools and practices in local government, and the sustainable development of tourism within the local government context. She has served in local public administration since 2005, having developed extensive experience in the fields of administration, organization, and local development, as well as in managing issues of minor offenses in urban areas within the framework of municipal policing. For the past seven years, she serves as Special Advisor to the Mayor of Elassona, providing strategic support on organizational and administrative issues related to local development. She holds an MBA (Open University of Cyprus), an MSc in Local and Regional Development and Local Government (Aristotel University of Thessaloniki, Joint Program), and a BA in Greek Culture (Open University of Cyprus), and is also a certified human resources development consultant in the public sector (EKDDA, Greece). Her research interests also include regenerative development, place identity, as well as experiential and transformative tourism, Digital twin technologies in local development and tourism planning. Her current main research interests focus on the extroversion/openness of places as a positive development factor, with particular emphasis on exploring the strategic dynamics of visitors –place dynamics that contribute to its formation, as well as its connection to local resilience and regenerative development prospects.

Zoi-Maria Tsinopoulou is an Economist – Culturologist and a PhD Candidate at the University of Thessaly, in the Department of Planning and Regional Development, in the field of Regional Development and Culture. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (BA (Hons) in Business Studies) from Teesside University, U.K., a Master’s degree (MA in Financial Management) from Durham University, U.K. and a Master’s degree (MA in Art, Law and Economy) from the International Hellenic University. She has worked at KPMG, one of the “Big four” global firms, within the Audit and Advisory Department, as well as at the consulting company Inova Hospitality Management, as a Data Analyst.

She is the Founder and CEO of the ‘‘Athens Institute of Liberal Arts – A.I.L.A.’’, one of the first institutes in Greece dedicated to fostering Liberal Arts Education. Her research interests focus on economic and cultural development, creative and cultural industries, regional development, regional inequalities, urban and regional governance and economic geography. She has participated in a significant number of European and international conferences.

Leonidas Doukissas is a Statistician and Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Planning and Regional Development of the University of Thessaly, teaching Statistics II and Econometrics. He completed postdoctoral research during 2019-2021 at the Regional Development Institute of Panteion University, funded by an IKY scholarship, focusing on the analysis of firm location patterns through point pattern methods. He holds a PhD in Spatial Statistical Analysis from Harokopio University, as well as a BSc in Statistics and an MSc in Applied Statistics from the University of Piraeus. His research interests focus on spatial statistical analysis, spatial econometrics, regional science, social statistics, and point pattern analysis. He has published in scientific journals and conferences and has participated in national and European research projects, including the HFRI/ELIDEK project GEOINC and the HORIZON project Future Resilience. He has served as statistical analysis lead in projects carried out on behalf of the European Travel Commission (ETC), through a contract with a private company. He has also provided teaching as a member of the Adjunct Teaching Staff at the Hellenic Open University.

George Ekonomou is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Planning and Regional Development at the University of Thessaly, focusing on tourism eco-efficiency and patterns of change in total factor productivity. He earned a PhD from the Department of Planning and Regional Development at the University of Thessaly. His research emphasizes tourism planning, natural resource valuation techniques, and regional endogenous development. Moreover, he holds a PhD from the Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment at the University of Thessaly, Greece, with a focus on natural resource economics and sustainable coastal zone management. He studied Agricultural Technology (BSc) at the International Hellenic University (formerly the TEI of Thessaloniki). He also holds a Master's degree in Investments and Regional Development from the Department of Planning and Regional Development at the University of Thessaly and a Master's degree in Project Management from the University of Seattle, USA. He has participated in International Scientific Congresses and published his research in well-acknowledged scientific Journals. His research interests include, but are not limited to, natural resource economics, tourism development and marketing. George has also taught courses related to the effects of climate change in coastal zones at the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (EU-CONEXUS). He has also worked in the private domain in sales and marketing positions as a key account manager in the agribusiness sector. Furthermore, he was the Business Networking and Communication manager at the Regional Development Fund in the Region of Central Greece (Sterea Ellada).