Lecturers

ELSA
AMANATIDOU

GEORGE
ANDROULAKIS

GEORGIOS
VLACHOS

ELSA AMANATIDOU

Instructor & Director, Modern Greek Studies Program, Brown University

Elsa Amanatidou studied English Philology at Aristotle University and completed postgraduate studies in Greek and English Philology, as well as Foreign Language Pedagogy, at the University of East Anglia, King’s College London, and the University of Edinburgh. She has worked as an instructor of Greek as a first and second language in both secondary and higher education in Greece and the United Kingdom.

She served as Director of the Brown University Center for Language Studies (2008-2014), President of the Ivy League Plus Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (2016-2019), and for many years was responsible for the Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Modern Greek Studies Association of North America (MGSA). Since 2001, she has been teaching at the Department of Classics at Brown University in the USA, where she also directs the Modern Greek Studies Program.

Elsa is responsible for the writing and implementation team of the A Level, GCSE, IGCSE, and International A Level examinations for Greek as a foreign, second, and native language.

Her research interests include the development of teaching proposals and applications for multiliteracies, the creation of materials to promote critical literacy, the integration of new technologies in foreign language teaching and learning, the role of translation in foreign language education, and content-based language instruction.

One of her upcoming publications is her chapter on integrating Cavafy’s poetry into the curriculum for teaching Greek as a foreign language. This chapter will be included in the collective volume Approaches to Teaching the Works of C. P. Cavafy, MLA Publications, Spring 2025 (co-edited by Peter Jeffreys and Demetres Tryphonopoulos).

GEORGE ANDROULAKIS

Professor of Sociolinguistics and Its Applications in Teaching Practice, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly

George Androulakis studied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, and Language Didactics at the Universities of Athens, Paris 7, and Paris 5. He has worked as a faculty member at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and the Hellenic Open University (HOU), with contracts at universities in France and Greece. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at universities in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Currently, he is a Professor of Sociolinguistics and Its Applications in Teaching Practice and Director of the Laboratory of Greek Language and Multilingualism at the University of Thessaly.

From 2016 to 2018, he was Vice President for Academic Affairs and International Relations at the Hellenic Open University, where he contributed to the establishment of the first semester-based and distance learning programs. At HOU, he is currently the Coordinator of the course unit ADE70 “Multilingualism and Language Education.”

His most recent projects as Scientific Director include:

Creative Multilingualism: From Practice to Research to Education (MeInArt) (ELIDEK)
Languages for Human Values (ELIDEK)
Bottleneck Analysis and Teachers Training for Inclusive Education (UNICEF)
Teach for Integration – Capacity Building and ALP (UNICEF)

Previously, he was the scientific lead for nine other European and national research projects, including ELMEGO, ECONOLANG, MATHEME, and PRESS. His projects have twice been awarded the European Language Label and once received the AMIF Award.

His research interests focus on multilingualism, language contact in migrant communities, language policy, language teaching didactics, teacher training, public pedagogy, and inclusive and open-distance education. He is frequently invited by the European Commission and the Council of Europe as an expert in language and multilingualism programs.

GEORGIOS VLACHOS

PhD, University of Johannesburg, Education Coordinator for Africa

Georgios Vlachos was born in 1967 in Agrinio, Greece. He is a graduate of the Pedagogical Academy and the Department of Primary Education at the University of Ioannina. He pursued further training at the Teachers’ Training Institute of the University of Crete for two years. During his secondment as an educator in South Africa (2003-2005), he studied at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg, earning a B.A. Honours Degree in Classical Culture. He holds a Master’s degree and a PhD from the University of Johannesburg, specializing in Intercultural Education and the History of Education, respectively. Additionally, he has completed annual professional development programs in Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language, Educational Organization and Administration, and Special Education.

He has participated in conferences and seminars on education both as an attendee and a speaker. He has also published articles in academic journals on educational and historical topics.

He has attended and conducted training programs, workshops, and conferences on Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language and Greek Culture. Furthermore, he has completed and facilitated seminars on topics such as teaching methodology, classroom management, critical and creative thinking development, quality and innovation in education, and the use of new technologies in the educational process.

He has worked in all types of primary schools as both a teacher and a principal. He has also been seconded for five years to Greek schools abroad, specifically in South Africa and Egypt.

Since November 2015, he has been serving as Education Coordinator for Africa, based in Johannesburg, overseeing Greek-language education across the African continent (excluding Egypt and Tunisia).

EVANGELIA
GEORGANTZI

VASSILIKI (BESSIE)
DENDRINOS

PETROS
DIATSENTOS

EVANGELIA GEORGANTZI

Philologist, Author of Greek Language Textbooks for Foreign Learners, Founding Member & Director of NEOHEL – Hellenic-European Studies & Publications, President of the Institute for Hellenic Language (INEL)

Education:
Evangelia Georgantzi holds a degree from the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens (Greek and French Philology).
She completed postgraduate studies in France in Applied Linguistics, specializing in the methodology and teaching of modern languages, at the Centre International d’Études Pédagogiques (CIEP) – FLE (Français Langue Étrangère) and the University of Grenoble.

Professional Experience:
She taught Greek and French as foreign languages at Athens College for 14 years.
She has organized and taught intensive Greek language and culture courses in various locations across Greece (Athens, Santorini, Ithaca, Thasos, Kalamata, Aegina, Paros).
She has trained teachers of Greek as a second/foreign language through seminars approved by the European Commission (Comenius – Grundtvig – Erasmus+).
She has also conducted teacher training abroad, in London, in schools under the Cypriot High Commission, in the USA and Canada (schools of the Archdiocese and Greek communities), in Ukraine (Mariupol University and Greek schools in Stary Krym).

Publications – Use of New Technologies:
Author of educational series for the teaching of Greek as a foreign language in print, digital, and interactive formats:

Series: Greek for You – Levels A0, A1, A2, B1 (B2 in 2025). For teenagers and adults.
Multilingual support: embedded translations in English, French, Russian, Turkish, Albanian, German, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian. Coming soon: Arabic.
Series: Greek for Foreign Learners – Levels 1, 2, 3, 4. For teenagers and adults.
Series: Little Starfish / Grammar Heroes – 5 titles. For preschool children (ages 4–6).
Includes 38 songs – digital animated material.
The Adventures of the Blue Cat – Greek Customs & Celebrations.
Series: Starfish – 36 titles for children aged 6–12. Levels 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4. Includes 52 songs.

Teaching Support Material:
For all series: detailed curricula, lesson plans, teacher’s books, answer keys, and supplementary resources.

Research Projects – Experimental Application of Material:

Little Starfish / Grammar Heroes at the 12th School of Sofia, Bulgaria
Starfish at the Greek-French School Eugène Delacroix, Agia Paraskevi
Greek for You with students from partner universities and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Greek for Foreign Learners with INALCO students, EU translators and interpreters

European Programs:
As Project Coordinator of NEOHEL (Lead Partner), she coordinated four European transnational three-year projects (LINGUA, LLP-KA2 LANGUAGES, ERASMUS+), in collaboration with partner universities: INALCO/France, University of Birmingham/UK, Complutense University/Spain, University of Strasbourg/France, University of Ankara/Turkey, University of Mariupol/Ukraine, University of Gjirokaster/Albania, for the creation of educational material.

Conferences – Presentations:
She has presented at numerous international conferences in: Paris, Geneva, Brussels, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Barcelona, Granada, Mexico City, Sofia, Belgrade, Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Messolonghi.
Online: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

VASSILIKI (BESSIE) DENDRINOS

Emeritus Professor of Sociology of Language and Foreign Language Education, Department of English Language and Philology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Vassiliki (Bessie) Dendrinos is an Emeritus Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). She taught for several decades in both undergraduate and graduate programs at the Department of English Language and Philology. She supervised numerous doctoral dissertations in Greece and other European countries and led multi-dimensional projects co-financed by the European Social Fund and national resources. Her academic interests focus on foreign language education, language assessment, educational linguistics, multilingualism, critical discourse analysis, language policy, and educational language planning.

In 2004, she founded and still directs the RCeL Research Center (see here), and in 2020, she initiated the establishment of the Center of Excellence “Multilingualism and Language Policy” at NKUA (see here). In 2002, she contributed to the launch of the State Certificate of Language Proficiency exams (see here) and has served as the chair of the Central Committee ever since, overseeing the continuous evaluation and development of the system. Since 2014, when she was elected President of the European Platform ECSPM (see here), based in Copenhagen, Denmark, she has been extensively involved in developing the organization as a whole. This has resulted in her taking on increasingly significant roles and establishing a network of 20 university units researching multilingualism in society and education (see here).

She has participated in numerous scientific conferences, forums, etc., across various European countries and the USA, often as an invited speaker. As a professor at NKUA, she has organized many conferences and scientific meetings. Since 2017, she has organized the significant annual symposia of ECSPM (see here), hosted at different European universities each year.

Among her most important publications is the book she co-authored with Macedo and Gounari, The Hegemony of English (Routledge, 2003), which was awarded in the USA in 2004 and has since been translated into Spanish (2005), Portuguese (2006), and Greek (2010). Her recent publications include The Politics of Foreign Language Policies, Teaching and Testing (Pedia Publications, 2020), studies in Greek, including “The Discourse of Poverty” in Licht und Wärme, dedicated to the memory of A.-F. Christidis, edited by Maria Theodoropoulou (Center for the Greek Language, 2007), and “Study of Language and (Anti)Ecological Consciousness” in the volume edited by Salomi Boukala & Anastasia G. Stamou, titled Critical Discourse Analysis: (De)constructing the Greek Reality, Nisos Publications, 2020.

Her most recent book, titled Mediation as Negotiation of Meanings, Plurilingualism and Language Education, is a collective volume to which scholars from Europe and the USA contributed. It was published by Routledge at the end of 2024.

PETROS DIATSENTOS

Associate Professor and Director of the Chair in Modern Greek Studies, Aix-Marseille University

Petros Diatsentos completed studies in sociology, history, and the didactics of French as a foreign language in Athens and Paris. He completed his doctoral thesis at EHESS, focusing on the political and ideological stakes of language reform in the 19th century. His research is oriented towards an interdisciplinary approach to historical and linguistic phenomena. The main areas he has worked on include the history of modern Greek, language policies, minority languages, the political-ideological dimension of linguistic tools, and the management of historical memory in modern Greece.

Petros Diatsentos worked in the French secondary education system, taught modern Greek language and history at the University of Strasbourg, and collaborated with lifelong learning organizations. He also worked with the Greek Language Center and the French Ministry of Education on language teaching issues. Since 2014, he has been the Director of the Chair of Modern Greek Studies at Aix-Marseille University (France), serving as Associate Professor. He teaches social and political history of Greece and Southeastern Europe, as well as modern Greek language. Since 2020, he has also directed the Euro-Mediterranean Studies Master’s Program as part of the Master Études Européennes et Internationales. He is a member of several Greek and French scientific societies and journals and participates actively in interdisciplinary programs and scientific meetings related to the Balkans and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region.

Petros Diatsentos is actively involved in civil society issues. His activities mainly concern topics related to political ecology and the rights of gender minorities.

STAMATIA
DOVA

CALLIOPE
DOUROU

SIMOS
ZENIOS

STAMATIA DOVA

Professor of Classical and Modern Greek Studies and Chair of the Department of Greek Studies, Hellenic College Holy Cross (Brookline, Massachusetts)

Stamatia Dova is a Full Professor of Classical and Modern Greek Studies and Chair of the Department of Greek Studies at Hellenic College in Brookline, Massachusetts. She earned her Ph.D. in Classical Philology from Harvard University in 2001. Her research interests include Archaic and Classical Greek poetry, the concept of the hero in ancient Greece, and the teaching of both ancient and modern Greek.

She is the author of the monographs The Poetics of Failure in Ancient Greece (Routledge, 2020) and Greek Heroes in and out of Hades (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012). She also edited Historical Poetics in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Greece: Essays in Honor of Lily Macrakis (Classics@10, Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies, 2012) and co-edited Homer in Sicily (Parnassos Press, 2023).

Her published articles and studies cover various topics, including sports in ancient Greece and its modern reception (e.g., “On Princes and Carpenters Boxing in Homer,” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 2020; “On Philogymnastia and its Cognates in Plato,” in Gymnastics, Athletics, and Agōn in Plato, 2020; “On Olympic Victors, Ancient and Modern,” Mouseion, 2019) and women’s studies (e.g., “Procne, Philomela, and the Voice of the Peplos,” Arethusa, 2021; “Lactation Cessation and the Realities of Martyrdom in the Passion of Saint Perpetua,” Illinois Classical Studies, 2017).

She has served as an Associate in Hellenic Language and Literature at the Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., and has taught Modern Greek in international programs (Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies, Dartmouth College Accelerated Language Programs). Since 2003, she has been the Academic Director of the Kallinikeion Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross, where she also teaches Modern Greek at all levels.

CALLIOPE DOUROU

Associate Professor of Modern Greek Literature and Culture, Department of Linguistics, University of Chicago

Kalliope Dourou is an Associate Professor (Teaching Faculty) of Modern Greek Literature and Culture in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Chicago. Before joining the University of Chicago, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Studies in the Department of Classical Studies at Harvard University, where she also completed her Ph.D. in Modern Greek Literature.

Her expertise lies in Modern Greek literature and cultural history, with her primary research and teaching interests including—but not limited to—the following areas: studies on the reception of classical antiquity, Renaissance Hellenism, the history of the Greek language, Greek modernism, and contemporary Greek cinema.

SIMOS ZENIOS

Simos Zenios is the Peter V. Tsantes Endowed Assistant Professor in Hellenic Studies at the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies at Stony Brook University. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University, having previously obtained an M.Sc. in General and Comparative Literature from the University of Edinburgh and a B.A. in Greek Philology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. From 2018 to 2024, he served as Lecturer in Modern Greek Language and Culture and as the Associate Director of the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture. His primary research interests are the literature and intellectual history of the European Enlightenment and Romanticism, critical and literary theory, theory of the lyric, and classical receptions. He has published peer-reviewed studies in American and European publications on a range of topics: from Greek modernism to the literature of the Greek Revolution, and from British philhellenism to the Enlightenment aesthetics and theories of metaphor.

MARIA
ZERVA

MARIA
IAKOVOU

KATERINA
LAGOS

MARIA ZERVA

Associate Professor and Director, Department of Modern Greek Studies, University of Strasbourg

Maria Zerva is an Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Strasbourg. Her research interests focus on linguistics, sociolinguistics, and critical discourse analysis, with an emphasis on metalinguistic attitudes toward languages, linguistic diversity, multilingualism, language ideologies, and the construction of identities in discourse.

Current Scientific Projects:

2024-2027 ACTIN Project (ACT and connect for INtegration): A European project co-funded by the European Commission (AMIF, grant agreement No 101141078). The project brings together a consortium of five countries combining universities and organizations (NGOs) working in the field of national language learning and the promotion of multilingualism for children of migrant descent.
From January 2025, she will be responsible for the Language and Society axis of the Interdisciplinary Institute of the University of Strasbourg focusing on Inclusion and Language in the ITI LIRIC 2025-2028 project (Language, Inclusion, Remediation, Interculturality, Communication, www.liric.unistra.fr).

Notable Recent Publications:

Tsamadou-Jacoberger, Irini & Zerva, Maria (dir.), (2024), La Grèce terre d’accueil, terre d’exil, terre d’émigration (19th-21st centuries): migrations, discourses, representations, and practices, Cahiers balkaniques, Special Issue, 699 p.
Gerhard-Krait, Francine & Zerva, Maria (dir.) (2023), La catégorisation et ses fluctuations formelles et interprétatives: focus sur l’approximation. Langages, No. 229.
Zerva, Maria (2024), “Learning Modern Greek in Higher Education: local and dominant discourses in interaction”, in Tsiplakou, Stavroula & Ioannidou, Elena (eds.), Multilingualism, Variation, Spaces of Literacy, Open University of Cyprus, 99-111. Available online: link
Zerva, Maria (2022), “On the paradox of being native speakers of two ‘competing’ languages: Turkish as the Mother or the Father Tongue of Greek nationals”, in Slavkov, Nikolay, Melo-Pfeifer, Sílvia Maria & Kerschhofer-Puhalo, Nadja (eds.), The Changing Face of the ‘Native Speaker’. Perspectives from Multilingualism and Globalization, Boston/Berlin, De Gruyter Mouton, 133-153.

MARIA IAKOVOU

Professor of Applied Linguistics, specializing in the Teaching of Greek as a Second Language, Department of Philology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)

Maria Iakovou is a Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Philology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Her expertise lies in teaching Greek as a second/foreign language, with research focusing on migrants, refugees, and heritage language speakers.

She holds a degree in Greek Philology (Linguistics) from NKUA (1992, with distinction), a Master’s in Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching) from the University of Reading, UK (1996), and a PhD from NKUA (1999).

Since joining the Department of Linguistics in 2001, Dr. Iakovou has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses on curriculum design, second language teaching methodology, and classroom-based teaching observation. She has trained a large number of language instructors and led key initiatives, including the development of SEPAME2, the first longitudinal learner corpus for Greek as a second language.

Since 2015, Dr. Iakovou has played a prominent role in refugee education, designing and implementing innovative programs such as FLEARS (Foreign Language Education for Adult Refugees), TaMam (Mother Tongue Classes), and Curing the Limbo (in collaboration with the Municipality of Athens). These initiatives aim to support vulnerable populations through innovative, inclusive language pedagogy.

Her publications include a monograph on teaching Greek as a second language, numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, conference proceedings, and research reports. She has authored or co-authored over 60 scholarly works, including articles in high-impact international journals such as The International Journal of Learner Diversity and Identities, International Journal of Early Years Education, and the CLIL Journal of Innovation and Research in Plurilingual and Pluricultural Education.

She has also developed curriculum design materials, including instructional manuals and teaching guides for adult learners and refugee integration programs. She has participated in more than ten major national and EU-funded research projects and contributed to the development of three comprehensive curricula for teaching Greek as a foreign language.

Her research spans key areas in Applied Linguistics, with particular emphasis on:

(a) Language education for vulnerable groups, focusing on Greek as a second language
(b) Language teacher education and professional development, especially in Greek as a second language
(c) Preservation of the Greek language within diaspora communities

She is fluent in English and French and has good command of German.

KATERINA LAGOS

Professor of History and Director of the Angelo K. Tsakopoulos Hellenic Studies Center, California State University, Sacramento

Katerina Lagos studied History and Political Science at the University of Washington in Seattle. She completed her Master’s degree in European History at New York University and then earned her PhD in Modern History at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Since 2004, she has served as the Director of the Hellenic Studies Program at California State University, Sacramento, where she has taught courses on Greek History, European History, and European Literature.

Katerina is the Vice President of the Modern Greek Studies Foundation in San Francisco (MGSF) and President of the Modern Greek Studies Association (MGSA). From 2012 to 2022, she was the Director and educator at the Greek Language Community School of Evangelism, and recently assumed oversight of the Greek Language Proficiency Exam Center in Sacramento. She also contributed to the creation and supervision of the Modern Greek Language Program at California State University, Sacramento, in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Her research interests focus on modern Greek history, particularly the interwar period, the dictatorships, and minorities. She co-edited the book The Greek Military Dictatorship, Revisiting a Troubled Past, 1967-1974 (Berghahn, 2021) and in 2023 published the book The Fourth of August Regime and Greek Jewry, 1936-1941 (Palgrave, 2023). Additionally, she has written various book chapters and articles on her research topics. Currently, Katerina is editing two new collections of articles, focusing on Environmental Studies and the Greek Revolution.

NIKOLAOS
LIAZOS

IRENE
LOIZIDES

VALLY
LYTRA

NIKOLAOS LIAZOS

Former Associate Professor of Turkish Language and Culture, Department of Balkan, Slavic and Eastern Studies, University of Macedonia

Nikolaos Liazos was born in 1956 in Istanbul and is a Greek citizen. He is married and has two children. He resides in Thessaloniki and served as an Associate Professor at the University of Macedonia, in the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Eastern Studies, as well as in the department’s postgraduate program.

He graduated from the Pedagogical Academy of Thessaloniki in 1985 and continued his studies at the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), where he earned a degree in 2000. Additionally, he obtained a degree from the Department of Primary Education at AUTH in 2006 and completed postgraduate studies in Pedagogy in 2003. He further specialized in education at the “Dimitrios Glinos” Teaching Institute in 2001. He completed his PhD at the Theological School of AUTH in 2007, focusing on the intercultural relationship between Christians and Muslims through the Turkish textbooks used in minority education in Western Thrace.

His teaching career began in Primary Education, where he taught from 1985 to 2001. He then worked as a lecturer at the Special Pedagogical Academy of Thessaloniki (2001-2014), where he taught Turkish language and literature, as well as pedagogy courses related to Turkish. Since 2011, he has been teaching at the University of Macedonia, offering courses in Turkish language, terminology, literature, and translation.

Nikolaos has also participated in training programs for teachers in minority education and serves as an evaluator of Turkish for the State Certificate of Language Proficiency. Since 2019, he has been the scientific supervisor of the Foreign Language Teaching Program at the University of Macedonia. He also teaches at the KEDIVIM of the University of Macedonia in the Intercultural Education Program, where he teaches courses such as “Modern Teaching Methods,” “Teaching Greek as a Second or Foreign Language,” and “The Phenomenon of Bilingualism.”

In addition, he has written scientific books and dictionaries, including the “Greek-Turkish and Turkish-Greek Dictionary of Economic, Political, and Social Terms” and the study “The Turkish Reading Textbooks of Minority Education in Western Thrace.” His research has been published in international scientific journals, and he has participated in numerous scientific conferences and evaluation committees aimed at promoting scientific research and the application of new educational methods. He has also translated books into Turkish.

Furthermore, he actively participates in administrative committees at the University of Macedonia and is the vice president of the Union of Constantinopolitans of Northern Greece. He supervises postgraduate and doctoral theses and has been invited to participate in scientific committees for evaluating research programs. His extensive teaching, research, and administrative experience has established him as an expert in the field of Turkish language, literature, and intercultural education.

IRENE LOIZIDES

Instructor and Head of the Greek Department, The Heritage Private School, Limassol

Irene Loizides is an educator with extensive experience in teaching the Greek language. She graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York, where she completed her studies in Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. She then obtained a Master of Science in Education from the same university.

Since 1991, Irene has been teaching Greek both as a native language and as a second language, making significant contributions to the spread and preservation of Greek culture. Her long-standing dedication to education has been widely recognized, and she was honored with the Grand Cross of Hagia Sophia by the association of fighters of the city and province of Limassol (S.A.P.E.L.) for her commitment to the Greek language, education, and society.

Throughout her career, she has implemented numerous educational programs and innovative activities, engaging her students in interactive and creative learning processes. Her work focuses on language development, familiarization with Greek culture, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Irene Loizides continues to work with passion and dedication, inspiring new generations to discover the beauty and strength of the Greek language.

VALLY LYTRA

Dr Vally Lytra is Reader in Languages in Education and Director of Postgraduate Research at the Department of Educational Studies, at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research, practice and community engagement focus on multilingualism in society and language education in minority and migration contexts. She has a long-standing interest in community/heritage languages and teacher training and development. She has published extensively in the fields of community and minority languages education, inclusive language pedagogies, faith literacies, language, identity and migration combining (auto)ethnographic with collaborative research methodologies. Her latest edited book is Liberating Language Education (Routledge, 2022). Dr Lytra co-leads the Special Interest Group D.EL.EXO which fosters an international forum on research, practice, and policy related to the teaching of Greek worldwide and is co-editor of the ‘Routledge Critical Studies in Multilingualism’. She is currently leading two research projects: ‘Creating Space for Multilingualism in Superdiverse Schools’ supported by Goldsmiths’ Research Impact Fund and ‘Arab Youth Speak Out’ funded by Qatar Foundation International. Dr Lytra co-founded and is president of the managing committee of Grec Pour Tous, a community-based school for children and adult learners of Greek in Lausanne, Switzerland and school governor of Azbuka, a Russian English bilingual school in London.

IOANNA
MOUSIKOUDIS

ALEXIA
MYRIOUNI

DESPINA
PAPADOPOULOU

IOANNA MOUSIKOUDIS

Dr. of Modern Greek Studies, Paul Valéry University – Montpellier III and Researcher-Collaborator at the TELEMMe Contemporary History Laboratory, AMU-CNRS, Aix-Marseille University

Ioanna Mousikoudis is a philologist and historian, a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She holds both a Master’s degree (DEA) and a Doctorate (Doctorat) in Modern Greek Studies from Paul Valéry University – Montpellier III. She teaches Modern Greek language and Greek history in secondary and higher education (Middle School – High School – CPGE) at Lycée Thiers and the Departments of Modern Greek Language in Marseille. Since 2015, she has been in charge of the examination center at Lycée Thiers for the certification of proficiency in Greek, organizing exams in collaboration with the Modern Greek Studies department of Aix-Marseille University.

Since 2018, she has been a research collaborator at the TELEMMe Contemporary History Laboratory, AMU-CNRS, Aix-Marseille University. She also worked for two years as a Lecturer in the Modern Greek Studies department at the same university. From February 2025, she will be an associate member of the Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts of Marseille.

Ioanna has authored two books on the Greek diaspora in Marseille and published articles on historical and educational topics. She has also participated in numerous international scientific conferences. Her current historical research focuses on the composition, organization, and historical evolution of the Greek diaspora in the broader Marseille area from the 19th century to the present. Her broader research areas include the study of the Greek diaspora and migration both in France and globally, as well as the ways in which Greek identity is expressed, preserved, and transmitted.

She has extensive experience teaching Modern Greek as a foreign language in multilingual environments and as a second language to bilingual students and learners. Her specific educational and teaching interests focus on the study of Greek-language education within the community system in France, teaching Greek as a carrier of ethnocultural identity to adult learners of Greek descent, teaching Modern Greek as an elective subject in the French secondary education system, and developing skills in oral comprehension and production through theater.

ALEXIA MYRIOUNI

Philologist, German Montessori Secondary School Leibniz, Düsseldorf

Alexia Myriouni is a graduate of Classical Philology and Byzantine Studies from the Universities of Cologne, Bonn (Germany), and the University of Ioannina (Greece).

Since 1995, she has been working as a philologist at the German Montessori Secondary School Leibniz in Düsseldorf. This school has hosted a Greek-German branch since 1980, where Greek students have the opportunity to choose Greek as a second foreign language. In addition to teaching Modern Greek, she also teaches History, Geography, Social Education, and Orthodox Religious Education. Her goal is for her students to engage with Greek cultural history, the Greek language, and literature.

With a career filled with dedication, a passion for learning, and respect for Montessori Pedagogical principles, she has gained the admiration and affection of both students and colleagues.

As a philologist, she doesn’t limit herself to teaching classical subjects but also integrates values that promote critical thinking, autonomy, and freedom in education.

For many years, she has responsibly coordinated the Greek-German branch at her school, also actively participating in cultural and social activities within cultural organizations and associations by organizing workshops, presentations, and book exhibitions.

She is actively involved with her students in national competitions such as Bibliodromies, a Reading Competition in collaboration with Geitona Educational Institutions, as well as in Bibliodesmoi (Mikra Molyvia), a Book Writing Competition in collaboration with Augoulea-Linardatou Private Educational Institutions in Athens. The books published under the titles “San se zoografia” and “Anamniseis stin klepsydra” (published by EYFYES) feature, among other authors, her own work.

For the past five years, she has been a regular contributor to the Neohel publishing house in Athens, contributing to the German edition of the series “Griechisch für Sie” (A0, A1, A2).

She also translated into German the children’s book by Sophia Grammouzi-Sopiki titled “I epistrofi tou Gigantokardou”, a book based on the value of healthy nutrition and respect for the environment and natural resources (published by Saïtis).

She is married to the doctor Christodoulos Fonias and permanently resides with her family in Germany.

DESPINA PAPADOPOULOU

Professor of Linguistics, Department of Philology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Despina Papadopoulou is a professor of Linguistics and the Director of the Linguistics Laboratory at the Department of Philology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She is also the Chair of the Supervisory Committee of the School of Modern Greek Language at AUTh.

She completed her undergraduate studies in Linguistics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and later pursued postgraduate studies in the Teaching of Greek as a Second/Foreign Language at the same university. She holds a master’s degree in Language Acquisition from the University of Essex (UK) and completed her doctoral studies at the same institution, focusing on sentence processing in the first and second/foreign language.

Professor Papadopoulou has coordinated and participated in numerous European and national research programs related to lexical and sentence processing, pronoun reference resolution, bilingual language development, as well as second language learning and teaching and language disorders. She has extensively published in the fields of language processing, bilingualism, and language teaching in prestigious academic journals and has authored books on language processing, bilingualism, and morphology.

She has been invited to deliver lectures and seminars at universities in Greece and Europe, such as the University of Konstanz, the University of Geneva, the University of Cyprus, and others.

Since March 2024, she has been coordinating the ACTIN program, co-financed by the EU, which aims to strengthen the education and integration of children with a migrant background.

EVANTHIA
PAPAEFTHYMIOU

MARIA
PLOUSIOU

LIDA
STERGIOU

EVANTHIA PAPAEFTHYMIOU

Educator, Translator, and Cultural Mediator, External Collaborator at the University of Bucharest

Evanthia Papaefthymiou is an educator, translator, and cultural mediator based in Bucharest, Romania. She is the founder of the private Greek language teaching center “Greek with Eva – Greaca cu Eva”, which offers language and culture courses and organizes activities such as speaking workshops, seminars for students and educators with invited speakers, among others.

She has extensive experience as an external collaborator at the University of Bucharest, where she teaches Greek language in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Her courses focus on translation, interpretation, specialized terminology, and practical Greek language lessons. Additionally, she has collaborated with the Democritus University of Thrace to teach Romanian language at the Department of Language, Philology, and Culture of Black Sea Countries. Her professional experience also includes coordinating educational activities for the Greek diaspora in Romania and participating in international Greek language Olympiads as a committee member and evaluator.

Evanthia Papaefthymiou has been recognized for her translation work, translating significant Romanian works into Greek.

She holds a degree in History, Archaeology, and Art History from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a master’s degree in Latin-Romance Translation Studies from the University of Bucharest.

She has received numerous excellence awards for her contributions to education and the promotion of the Greek language, and she is also active as a volunteer for the promotion of Greek culture through the association “NOSTOS” in Bucharest.

MARIA PLOUSIOU

Maria Plousiou holds a degree from the Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini, specializing in Turkish Language through the Department of Language, Literature, and Culture of Black Sea Countries. She completed a master’s degree at the University of Nicosia in Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language.

Since 2019, she has been teaching Greek to children and adults while developing innovative educational materials that integrate art into language learning. Her work focuses on creative methodologies that enhance linguistic and cultural engagement through poetry, music, and visual arts.

She is the author of 7 Steps Through Poetry: Using Poetry in Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language to Children, Word-by-Word: The Use of Poetry in Teaching Greek as a Foreign Language, Learning Greek through Songs: Incorporating Songs into Greek Language Teaching.

She is currently completing a master’s degree in Αrts in Education and Cultural Settings at King’s College London. She is also working on new books and educational materials that further explore the relationship between language and the arts.

LIDA STERGIOU

Professor of Intercultural Education, Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Ioannina

Lida (Amaryllis) Stergiou studied French Philology in Athens and continued her postgraduate studies in Language and Culture Didactics at Paris VII. She is currently a Professor of Intercultural Education at the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Ioannina and directs the “Intercultural Education and Differentiated Pedagogy Laboratory” at the same department.

Her research interests focus on the pedagogical and social prerequisites of inclusive education, the teaching of Greek as a second language, and specifically the education of children with refugee/migrant experience. She has collaborated in the creation of educational and training materials related to refugee education and participates in corresponding training programs and actions.

In collaboration with George Simopoulos, she published the book “After the Container. An Intercultural Perspective on Refugee Education” in 2019 (Gutenberg), and in 2025, she edited the collective volume “Young Children, Big Challenges. Preschool Education and Children with Refugee Experience” (EDEDP, University of Ioannina) https://interdiffer.ecedu.uoi.gr/.

IRINI
TSAMADOU
JACOBERGER

ELPINIKI
FRAGKOULI

GEORGE
FRAZIS

IRINI TSAMADOU-JACOBERGER

Professor of Linguistics & Sociolinguistics, Department of Modern Greek Studies, University of Strasbourg

Irini Tsamadou-Jacoberger is a professor of Linguistics and Sociolinguistics at the Department of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Strasbourg. From 1999 to 2017, she served as the Director of the Department of Modern Greek Studies, and from 2011 to 2022, she was the Director of the Research Center for Eastern, Slavic, and Modern Greek Studies UR 1340-GEO.

Her research interests focus on discourse analysis, linguistic diversity, the construction of linguistic representations in discourse, language contact, language policies, and multilingualism. She has participated in various research projects, including DYLAN (Dynamiques des langues et gestion de la diversité), which can be found at www.dylan-project.org.

Since 2020, she has been involved in the scientific activities of the European Civil Society Platform for Multilingualism (ECSPM) (link to ECSPM) and the Center of Excellence for Multilingualism and Language Policy at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA).

During her tenure as Vice-Rector for International Relations at the University of Strasbourg, she contributed to the founding of the international academic network ANIME (Academic Network on Inclusion, Multilingualism, and Excellence), which can be found at ANIME Network.

In 2023-2024, she coordinated as scientific director the MUDExI program (Le multi-/plurilinguisme dynamique, terreau de l’excellence inclusive dans l’enseignement supérieur) in collaboration with the universities Sofia St Kliment Ohridski, Babes-Bolyai, Ngaoundéré, São Paulo, and the European Civil Society Platform for Multilingualism (ECSPM).

Irini Tsamadou-Jacoberger was the scientific director, along with Associate Professor Maria Zerva, of the multilingual series for learning New Greek “Greek for You, A0-B1”.

ELPINIKI FRAGKOULI

Educator, Head of Languages, Byron College – The British International School, Athens

Dr. Elpiniki Fragkouli is an experienced educator in the field of language education. She currently serves as Head of Languages at Byron College, the British International School in Athens. She has over 15 years of teaching experience, specializing in Greek as a foreign language at the primary and middle school levels, and Greek as a second language at the high school level.

Alongside her leadership role in school education, Dr. Fragkouli has significant experience in higher education. She served as Athens Programme Leader for the Undergraduate Programme in Primary Education and the Postgraduate Programme in Education at the University of Dundee. She has also taught in teacher education programs in the United Kingdom, including at the University of Warwick, and was involved in the implementation of digital infrastructure in higher education at King’s College London.

She holds both a Master’s and a PhD in Education from the University of Warwick, with her doctoral research focusing on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in teacher education. Additionally, she pursued postgraduate studies in Counselling and Career Guidance at ASPETE (School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece).

Her broader research interests include:

Special educational needs (learning, emotional, and behavioral difficulties)
Counselling and guidance
Bilingualism

GEORGE FRAZIS

George Frazis is an Associate Professor in Hellenic & Greek Studies in the College of Indigenous Futures, Arts & Society specialising in Teaching Greek as a second/foreign language, in the immigration of Hellenes in North Australia and in the development of e-learning platforms. He is interested in revealing stories of Hellenes in North Australia from their arrival early 20th century till today as well as in organising In Country Study Programs in Greece every year since 2007. More specifically, his work examines the presence of Hellenes in Darwin since 1869. George Frazis holds degrees in Philology, Literary Studies and Education from three Universities. He is published in different periodicals and magazines. When not at work, George can be found interviewing older members of Greek Community in North Australia. In collaboration with the University of the Aegean in Greece and the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki-Greece he is organising biennial International Conferences on Hellenic Diaspora and has published 3 volumes on the series “Perspectives on the Hellenic Diaspora”.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

I. 2000 Doctor of Philosophy, Flinders University.
Thesis entitled: Prevelakis’ Spiritual Journey: The Case of Tale of a Town.
II. 1996 Master of Arts, Flinders University.
Thesis entitled: Popular Tradition and Incursion of “Alien Time” in the Trilogy “The Roads to Creation” of Pantelis Prevelakis.
III. 1988 Graduate Diploma in Education, The University
of Adelaide, South Australia.
IV. 1981 B.A. Hons., National and Kapodistriakon
University of Athens.

ASPASIA
CHATZIDAKI

ANNA
CHATZIPANAGIOTIDOU

CATERINA
CARPINATO

ASPASIA CHATZIDAKI

Professor of Sociolinguistic Dimensions of Bilingualism & Teaching Greek as a Second Language, Department of Primary Education, University of Crete

Aspasia Chatzidaki is a graduate of the Philosophical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds an MA in Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Reading, as well as a PhD from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (with a scholarship from IKY). Since 2000, she has been serving at the Department of Primary Education (P.T.D.E.) at the University of Crete, and she has been a Full Professor since 2020.

Her research interests focus on the sociolinguistic aspects of bilingualism, teaching Greek as a second/foreign language, and the education and professional development of teachers in relation to teaching students from marginalized groups.

Since 2011, she has been the Director of the Laboratory of Intercultural and Migration Studies (E.DIA.M.ME.) at the P.T.D.E. of the University of Crete. From 2002 to 2008, she participated in the EP.E.A.E.K. “Homogeneous Education” program, implemented by E.DIA.M.ME, focusing on the development of curriculum programs and the creation of textbooks for teaching Greek in the diaspora. From 2012 to the end of 2014, she served as the Scientific Director of the ESPA program “Greek Language Intercultural Primary and Secondary Education in the Diaspora,” which was implemented by E.DIA.M.ME for the Ministry of Education, with co-financing from the EU (2011–2014) (ediamme.edc.uoc.gr/ellinoglossi).

In addition to her publications in Greek and international academic journals and collective volumes, she has co-edited two collective volumes on migration to and from Greece and Greek language education abroad, as well as a volume on refugee education in Greece, published by international publishers.

In 2020, she published her book “Teaching Bilingual Children: Theoretical Issues and Educational Approaches” (Pediο Publishers), and in 2023, she co-authored the book “The Development of the Community Language in Children from Minority Groups: The Role of the Family and School” with Christina Maligoudi (Kallipos, Open Academic Publications, link).

ANNA CHATZIPANAGIOTIDOU

Professor of Intercultural / Linguistic Education, Former Faculty Member, Department of Education, Frederick University (Cyprus)

Anna Chatzipanagiotidou is a Professor of Intercultural / Linguistic Education and a former faculty member at the Department of Education of Frederick University in Cyprus. She has previous teaching experience at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), where she taught at the School of Greek Language, as well as at the University of Western Macedonia, University of Crete, and the Department of Primary Education (P.T.D.E.) of AUTH. She has also taught as a visiting professor at universities abroad, including in Canada, the USA, Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Australia.

Her research interests focus on intercultural education and training, bilingualism, the Greek-Cypriot diaspora, the methodology and teaching of Greek as a second/foreign language, as well as assessment and certification of Greek as a second/foreign language and teacher training.

She is a member of several international educational and research organizations such as AILA (International Association of Applied Linguistics), EEEΓ, PEE, and TESOL.

She has an extensive publication record in intercultural education and the teaching of Greek as a first, second, and foreign language.

CATERINA CARPINATO

Professor of Modern Greek Language and Literature, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Caterina Carpinato is Professor of Modern Greek Language and Literature at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, where she also served as Vice Rector for Third Mission Activities from 2020 to 2024.

Her research focuses on the transmission of classical Greek texts within Modern Greek literature and on literary translation — from Ancient Greek into the modern vernacular, from Italian into Greek, and from Greek into Italian. She has translated contemporary Greek authors into Italian. Her scholarly interests also include Modern Greek lexicography and the study of spoken Greek as reflected in printed texts of the 16th century.

She has participated in numerous international conferences and coordinated academic exchange programs with foreign universities. For over a decade, she served as Secretary of the Italian National Association for Modern Greek Studies (until 2018) and as Vice President of Ateneo Veneto (until 2021). She is a member of the Board of the University Council for Hellenic Studies, the Council for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, and continues her involvement in the National Association for Modern Greek Studies.

Professor Carpinato directed and coordinated the N. M. Panagiotakis Memorial Award in Hellenic Studies and has served on various academic evaluation committees for research and teaching at Greek universities on behalf of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education. She has also been active in academic boards both in Italy and abroad.

She has twice received the European Language Label (2012, 2018), and she has coordinated a Project of Significant National Interest and an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships project.

Between 2017 and 2020, she was a member of the Tempo Forte Technical Committee, an initiative of the Italian Embassy in Athens aimed at promoting and coordinating cultural cooperation between Italy and Greece.

She previously taught classical literature and Latin in secondary education. She holds a PhD in Greek and Latin Philology, with a dissertation titled: “Venetian Editions in Vernacular Greek: Proposals for the Republication of the Batrachomyomachia and the Teseida.”

STOYNA
POROMANSKA

VOJKAN
STOJICIC

ALICIA
VILLAR LECUMBERRI

STOYNA POROMANSKA

Professor of Modern Greek Language & Linguistics, Sofia University

Education

Russian Philology, Sofia University
PhD Dissertation – Humboldt University, Berlin: “Democratic Trends in the Evolution of Modern Greek (Vocabulary)”
Habilitation Thesis: “Modern Greek Dialects in Bulgaria” (2004)

Career

Professor of Modern Greek Language and Linguistics at Sofia University
Head of the Modern Greek Department, Sofia University (1992–2007)
Professor of Linguistics and Head of the Modern Greek Studies Program at New Bulgarian University (1994–2014)

Main Research Areas

Modern Greek Linguistics, Modern Greek Lexicology, Modern Greek Dialectology, Translation Theory

Social Involvement

President of the Association of Modern Greek Studies in Bulgaria (1993–2003)
Founding member of the European Society for Modern Greek Studies
Member of the Modern Greek Dialectology Society
Member of the Association of Translators of Bulgaria
Founding member of the Association of Friends of Greek Culture in Sofia (2009)
Founding member of the ARISTOTLE CLUB (Bridge of Cultures) in Sofia

Honors / Awards

1997: Award of the Academy of Athens for collecting dialectological material in coastal towns in Bulgaria, in Pomorie (Old Anchialos, Sozopol) with recordings of authentic dialect speakers from 1988-2007, where the Bulgarian version of Erotokritos appeared.
2001: Literary Translation Award from the Translators’ Society for the Bulgarian translation of T. Athanasiadis’s book Agia Neotita
2015: Honorary Doctorate from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
2016: Honorary Doctorate from Veliko Tarnovo University, Bulgaria
2017: Honorary Doctorate from Plovdiv University (Old Philippopolis), Bulgaria

Books / Manuals & Studies

Modern Greek for Beginners (2000)
Modern Greek for Advanced Learners (2000, 2020)
The Modern Greek Language in Bulgaria: Theoretical and Practical Approach (2007)
The Modern Greek Dialects of Southeastern Bulgaria (2014), published by the Kardamitsa Book Institute

VOJKAN STOJICIC

Associate Professor of Modern Greek Language, Department of Modern Greek Studies, University of Belgrade

Dr. Voјkan Stojčić is an Associate Professor of Modern Greek Language at the Department of Modern Greek Studies, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade. He completed his undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies in Modern Greek Philology at the same university, with a research focus on foreign language pedagogy and the relationship between the Greek and Serbian languages.

His academic career includes long-term teaching of the Greek language at various levels of study, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. Additionally, he has taught as a visiting professor at various universities, strengthening academic collaboration between institutions. With significant experience in organizing and participating in scientific programs and committees, Dr. Stojčić continues to contribute to the development of Modern Greek Studies and the promotion of Greek language teaching internationally.

Moreover, he has served as an evaluator and examiner in official language proficiency exams. He has contributed to the organization of scientific events and was a member of scientific and organizing committees for conferences. He maintains active participation in international mobility programs and collaborations with universities in Greece and Cyprus. Dr. Stojčić has presented papers at over 120 conferences on topics related to teaching Greek and Serbian as foreign languages, applied linguistics, and Modern Greek Studies.

As the head of the Department of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Belgrade, he plays a key role in shaping contemporary teaching practices and promoting the Greek language and culture in Serbia. His research interests cover various areas of applied linguistics, as well as the teaching of Greek and Serbian as foreign languages, and the use of modern technologies in language teaching.

He is the President of the Serbian Association for Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Secretary of the Serbian Society for Modern Greek Studies, and a member of the Board of Directors of the European Society for Modern Greek Studies.

ALICIA VILLAR LECUMBERRI

Professor, Department of Translation and Interpreting, International University of Valencia

Alicia Villar Lecumberri holds a Ph.D. in Greek Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). She is a collaborator on the Ancient Greek Dictionary, carried out at the Scientific Research Centre in Madrid, directed by the academic Francisco Rodríguez Adrados.

She worked at the Ionian University in the Department of Translation and Interpreting, where she created the Spanish Language and Spanish Culture track. She has also been a professor of Modern Greek at the State School of Languages in Madrid, and of Modern Greek Language and Literature at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Currently, she is a professor at the Department of Translation and Interpreting at the International University of Valencia (VIU).

Villar Lecumberri is also a professional interpreter of Modern Greek. She actively participates in various conferences both in Spain and internationally, and her scholarly articles have been published in journals in Spain and other countries.

She is a member of the research program Transficción II at the University of Zaragoza, focusing on the post-Franco period in European literature. Her research interests are also centered on Modern Greek literature.

In addition, she is a member of the Cervantes International Association (AC), where she serves as vice president. In this capacity, she organizes conferences and seminars and focuses primarily on Comparative Literature (Spanish/Greek). She is also a member of the Iberian-Greek Society of Modern Greek Studies (SHEN).

Her journey in Modern Greek literature began with translations. She translated and published books by Greek authors, starting with works that were then significant for the Spanish-speaking audience, such as “Ζητείται ελπίς” (1990) and “Αρνούμαι” (1998) by Antonis Samarakis, and “Φύλλα Κατοχής” (1991) by Ioanna Tsahtou.

She translated Francisco Rodríguez Adrados’ “Historia de la lengua griega” into Greek, which was published by Papadima Editions as “Ιστορία της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας. Από τις Απαρχές ως τις Μέρες μας” (2010).

Additionally, she translated Aristotle’s “Poetics” (2004), with a new edition published in 2013 by Alianza Editorial, which includes an introduction and notes.

One of her significant works is the book “Literatura Griega Contemporánea (1821-2021)”, which explores the dissemination of Modern Greek Literature in the Spanish-speaking world and has become a reference point in the field of contemporary Greek literature.

VLADIMIR
VLADOV

KAMILLA
YUSUPOVA

TAMARA
YUSUPOVA

VLADIMIR VLADOV

Associate Professor, Department of Classical and Oriental Languages and Cultures, St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo

Dr. Vladimir Vladov is the Vice President of the General Assembly and a member of the Senate at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. For the past twenty years, he has also been the President of the University’s Trade Unions. From 2013 to 2023, he served as the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Philology. He holds a Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpretation (1990) and a Ph.D. in History, Palaeography, Documentation Studies, and Archival Studies (2010).

With extensive teaching and academic experience at the University since 1992, he has taught a wide range of courses, including Advanced and Beginner Modern Greek, History of Greek Literature, Greek Grammar, History and Culture, and Translation of Specialized Texts, in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. He has supervised four doctoral candidates, three of whom successfully obtained their PhDs.

Dr. Vladov is a founding member of both the Bulgarian Society of Modern Greek Studies and the European Society of Modern Greek Studies. He has published two scientific books and over 50 articles and translations in international and Bulgarian journals, edited volumes, and conference proceedings. Additionally, he is the owner of a publishing house and has long-standing experience as an editor-in-chief and manager.

KAMILLA YUSUPOVA

Associate Professor of Description and Comparison of Slavic Languages with a Focus on Bulgarian and Russian, Department of Language, Philology, and Culture of Black Sea Countries, Democritus University of Thrace

Undergraduate Studies:

Slavic Philology (Russian Language and Literature), Tashkent National University
Pedagogical Direction, Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology, University of Ioannina

Postgraduate Studies:

Linguistics, Master’s Program “Teaching Modern Greek as a Foreign Language,” National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Doctoral Studies:

Foreign Language Teaching, Translation, Error Analysis, Department of Language, Philology, and Culture of Black Sea Countries, Democritus University of Thrace

Research Interests:

Applied and Comparative Linguistics
Acquisition/teaching of Slavic languages with an emphasis on Russian, Bulgarian, and Greek as a second language
Multilingualism
ICT in foreign language teaching
CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)
Certification of Russian language proficiency
Translation
Slavic comparative linguistics
Russian language and literature
Bulgarian language and literature
Bulgarian culture

European Programs:

Participation in the working group of the multilingual series for teaching Modern Greek as a second/foreign language, “Greek for You,” levels A0, A1, A2. European program KA2 Languages, Lifelong Learning Program (European Commission), coordinated by NEOHEL-Modern Greek and European Studies.

Monographs:

“Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages and the Use of Translation in Russian Language Learning”
(Методы обучения иностранному языку и использование перевода в изучении русского языка).
Published by NEOHEL-Modern Greek and European Studies, Athens, 2021.
“Pedagogical Translation in Russian Philology: A Proposal for Didactic Intervention”
(Педагогический перевод в русской филологии. Создание дидактического материала).
Published by NEOHEL-Modern Greek and European Studies, Athens, 2021.
“Learning Russian through Translation: A Handbook for Students”
(Изучая русский язык посредством перевода. Пособие для студентов).
Published by NEOHEL-Modern Greek and European Studies, Athens, 2021.

TAMARA YUSUPOVA

Deputy Secondary Education Teacher of Greek Philology (East Attica B’ District) – Reception Classes for Migrant Students (ZEP)

Tamara Yusupova is a Deputy Secondary Education Teacher of Greek Philology in the B’ District of East Attica, specializing in teaching Greek as a second/foreign language to students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

For the past two years, she has been implementing innovative teaching practices within the framework of the ZEP program (Reception Classes for Migrant Students). She utilizes interactive digital content based on the “Greek for You” textbook by NEOHEL, integrating digital tools, interactive whiteboards, and tablets to facilitate the linguistic integration and educational inclusion of students with a migrant background.

Her academic and teaching interests focus on intercultural education, Greek as a second language, and linguistic integration in multicultural school environments.

She holds a degree in Greek Philology from the University of Ioannina and a Master’s degree in Teaching Modern Greek as a Foreign Language from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Tamara has participated in European programs focused on the teaching of Greek as a second/foreign language, contributing as a member of the development team of the Multilingual Learning Series “Greek for You”, under the KA2 Languages – Lifelong Learning Program of the European Commission, coordinated by NEOHEL.

In her presentation at the conference, she will share her experience teaching the “Greek for You A1” textbook via a digital platform within the ZEP program, highlighting the benefits of using interactive technologies in second/foreign language education.