SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

 Andreas holds a PhD in International Studies from the University of Buckingham (UK).  The title of his PhD thesis is: “Greece unscathed by Jihadism”.He is a graduate in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and he holds a Master degree (MA) in Intelligence and Security studies from Brunel University (UK). He has served as General Director of the Federation of Attica and Piraeus Industries (2001-2004) and has worked as an expert consultant to various posts in the Greek government. He has also received research grants from the renowned US based think tank Middle East Forum.From October 2007 till January 2012 he was a Senior Analyst at the Athens based think tank Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS). He is co-founder of the blog RIMSE (Radical Islam Monitor in Southeast Europe-February 2011). Furthermore, he is a Founding Partner (since January 2013) and Deputy Secretary General (January 2013-January 2018) of the Hellenic-Chinese Business Chamber. In June 2015 in collaboration with a group of young scientists of the broader scientific field of International Relations he founded the Center for International Strategic Analyses-KEDISA.

Dr Panagiotis Sfaelos is Lawyer, Political Scientist and Journalist, Secretary General of the Association of European Journalists, member of the UK’s National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists. He holds a PhD in EU Law from the University of Kent. His PhD thesis deals with EU Law of Immigration and Asylum after the Amsterdam Treaty. He also holds a Master in EU Law with Merit from the University of Kent. He has a Law Degree from the University of Leicester and a Degree in European and International Studies (Upper Second Class Honours) from London South University. He also holds a Diploma in Journalism from the London School of Journalism and a Diploma in Media Studies from Antenna Media Lab. At professional level, Dr Panagiotis Sfaelos has worked as Law Consultant at the Hellenic Parliament, where he dealt with draft bills for their compatibility with EU law. He has also worked as Lawyer at the Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus. He works as Journalist and Director at the electronic newspaper Active News. He is a feature writer at the newspaper Naftemporiki and the site Apopseis.gr. He is also a Broadcaster at the Hephaestus Radio Wien. Dr Panagiotis Sfaelos also has academic career. He is a Professor in EU law at the Hellenic Police Academy. He has also taught at the University of Nicosia and the American University of Athens. He has many publications at the Hellenic Review of European Law and the Journal of Common Market Studies.

Dr. Petros Violakis is Director of Research of KEDISA and a partner of Piraeus University Scientific Committee. He holds a PhD degree in Politics from Exeter University, an MA in International Relations from University of Indianapolis, an MBA (focus in Marketing) and a BSc in Computer Science from University of Hertfordshire. His latest research is linked to the Europeanisation of EU Member States’ armed forces and EU Defence Industry. In his research, he incorporates all of his past knowledge and acquired skills related to technology, innovation (R&D), marketing research, economics, social impact, international relations and politics. Hence, his 10 years of experience in telecom and defence industry played an important role to this outcome. His engagement in the telecom and defence industry was related to the development of state-of-the-art technology for telecom, defence and other areas such as maritime technology and applications, natural disasters systems and related applications and others. For this purpose, the construction of national and European coalitions, which included Universities, Private companies, governmental authorities and other institutes, played a significant role in the allocation of national and EU funding. Such research and development projects in which he participated are: TELEFOS, TELEAQUA, ESPEN, FireMentor, NAVTEXII, TRAVIS, EPIPLEON, DIAVLOS, PISCES, COMMAN and ArchiPelago. During the years, his intense engagement to R&D projects flourished and resulted to the distinction of the Marketing Team he worked with. The distinction was awarded on behalf of the EU from the Greek Government for “Particularly improved performance in research, technology and innovation for the year 2005 and for the competitive presence in Europe”. The result of this work was presented in several national and international exhibitions and workshops such as, Defendory Exhibition, Thessaloniki International Exhibition, Technology and Innovation Exhibition (held by Ministry of Development).

Dr. Spyros Plakoudas is working as an Assistant Professor of Homeland Security at Rabdan Academy (UAE). During the period September 2017-April 2020 he served as Vice-President of the Board of Directors of KEDISA. He has taught in the past in two continents (Europe and Asia) and two domains (universities and military academies) and specializes in violent non-state groups (terrorists, guerrillas and mafias). His new book under Rowman and Littlefield examines the Syrian Civil War and the Kurds.Assistant Professor in Strategy and IR, American University in the United Arab Emirates.

Olamide holds a PhD in National Security Strategy from the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham. He earned his B.ILD degree in International Law and Diplomacy in 2013, from Babcock University, Nigeria, where he specialized in researching on the global emergence of Private Military and Security Companies. He also holds an MA in Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham (2014).
He is currently a Teaching Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, where he teaches International Security, General Diplomatic Studies and Diplomatic Practice at the MA level, and engages in MA Theses Supervision.
He is also the Project Coordinator for the Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation (SCRAP) Project and the President of the SOAS Pugwash Society. The SCRAP project, proposes General and Complete Disarmament as the goal of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation efforts, and works with International Organisations, Governments and Civil Society to advance this agenda.
He is also a Senior Researcher, and member of the Scientific Committee at the Center for International Strategic Analyses (KEDISA), and a Senior Consultant at Zander Woollcombe International. He was previously a Lead Researcher at Beacon Consulting Nigeria, where he specialised in Security Risk management and Intelligence consulting.
His research interests include: Strategic Culture, Conventional Arms Control, Nuclear Disarmament, SALW PSSM, Sub-Saharan Africa National Security Strategy, and Multilateral Disarmament Diplomacy. He has held lectures and engaged in high-level panel discussions in various diplomatic and academic arenas.

Dr. Antonis Skotiniotis was born in December 1982. He grew up in Volos, where he completed his Primary and Secondary Education.He studied at the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki (2000-2005). He continued his studies in the United Kingdom where he received master degrees in “International Relations” from University of Essex (2005-2006) and in the “Political Economy of Russia and Eastern Europe” from University College London – UCL (2006-2007).He received his Ph.D. from the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Piraeus on the subject of: “Russia’s policy in the Caucasus and the position of Greece: convergence or divergence of interests?”.He is a postdoctoral researcher at the same department on the subject of: “Russia and the Multipolar World: Towards a New “Holy Alliance”? “. From November 2008 to June 2012 he worked as a Fellow Researcher at the Institute for Strategic and Developmental Studies (International and European Foreign and Defense Policy Sector). His main fields of research included issues related to International Relations and the Greek Foreign Policy (focusing on the regions of Russia, the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean). Since 2013 he is the Scientific Coordinator of the Russia Research Group of the BRICS Study Laboratory of the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Piraeus. He is a Lecturer at the Naval Staff and Command College of Hellenic Navy. Course title: “Review of Near Abroad”.He is also an Αnalyst and member of the Scientific Committee of the Center for International Strategic Analyses-KEDISA.He speaks English, Russian and Bulgarian.He has delivered lectures on the subjects of Russian Political History, Russian Foreign Policy Schools of Thought and Russia’s Policies in the Caucasus at the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Piraeus.He has participated in Scientific Conferences, Seminars and Workshops in Russia and Greece. Studies and articles of him have been published in scientific journals, websites and the press.

Dr. Eng. George D. Vardangalos earned his Electrical and Computer Engineering Diploma, PhD in Informatics and MBA degree from the National Technical University of Athens.

He has been a Research Associate and S/W developer in various European projects (ACTS, ESPRIT and IST) related to communications and informatics (1995-2000). Since 2001 he is mainly working as IT consultant and Technical Manager in various private companies for national and European development and research projects (IST- E-CONTENT, FP6, FP7, TACIS, EuropeAid) in the IT sector.

He is an evaluator of investment plans in different programs concerning the private sector for the Greek Ministry of Development and has evaluated numerous investment plans based on the ICT sector.

He is:

• Member of Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) since 1996 (Alternate Representative of Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) in Economic and Social Council (ESC) of Greece since April 2015)
• Member of the Pan-hellenic Union of Dipl. Mechanical/Electrical Engineers
• Member of the Greek Union of Computer and Telecommunications Engineers
• Founding Member of Hellenic Evaluation Society (Alternate Board Member)