Senior Researchers

Niko is a young professional in the field of international relations and policy making. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Languages and International Relations from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, and a MA in International Relations with Political Strategy and Communication from the Brussels School of International Studies (University of Kent), which he achieved with a compelling dissertation on the effects of the use of national identity in the Greek-EU negotiations of 2015 and awarded his degree with Distinction.
His strongest theoretical expertise ranges from linguistics to foreign policy analysis, and from cross-cultural negotiations to discourse analysis. He applies the theoretical tools to provide close insights on Mediterranean, European and Latin American relations, the effects of national identity on international relations, the role of non-state actors in foreign policy making, cultural diplomacy and transformative mediation as a peaceful tool for conflict resolution.
Niko collaborates with Katoikos.eu as a writer and commentator on foreign policy. Besides, he also participates in NGOs that promote democracy and transparency by advising communication and lobbying strategies, and has been collaborating as fundraiser and facilitator for Cometa ASMME, an Italian NGO fostering research and assistance on metabolic disorders. He has also worked in the international law firm Todarello & Partners (Milan, Italy), which enabled him to do legal research and refine bargaining skills. Apart from Italian, he is fluent in English, Spanish, Greek and has a fair understanding of French, while is learning Arabic. Niko is also a polyhedral musician and plays four instruments excellently. Since late 2016 he collaborates with KEDISA as an analyst.

Petros studied “Political Science and Public Administration” at the Athens Faculty of Law. He holds two Master’s degrees in “European and International Studies” and in “Political Science and Sociology” from the above mentioned Faculty, and also a Master’s degree in “Political Studies” (by correspondence) from the American World University. He was an undergraduate and postgraduate scholar from the “State Scholarship Foundation” (IKY) and the Japanese Sasakawa Foundation. He has attended many workshops and seminars, and has been an external researcher at the “Foundation of the Hellenic World” (IME). Since June 2018 he works at the Migration Policy Department at the Ministry for Migration and Asylum. Between February 2015 and January 2017, he worked as an Advisor for Nea Demokratia (political party). Between July 2012 and January 2015 he worked as a Special Advisor at the Office of International Relations & EU of the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister of Greece and at the Ministry of Development. From 2004 till 2012 he worked as a Special Advisor for Nea Demokratia in International Relations & EU Secretariat.

He is an Officer of the Greek Army, a graduate of the Hellenic Army Academy (Evelpidon) and holds a postgraduate degree in International Relations and European Studies from the Department of Political Science and Governance of Law School of University of Nicosia. He is PhD Candidate at School of Political Sciences of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specialized in International Political History, Warfare and Strategic Studies, focusing on the evolution of warfare and the influence on the design of armaments programs, from the age of massive armies to the age of artificial intelligence. Also, he is a researcher at Hellenic Institute of Strategic Studies with a significant number of original research projects, is a member of the Defense Standardization Advice organization and was a researcher in geopolitical forecasts at ForTank think tank of the Department of Economics of University of Peloponnese. His articles are often published in reputable journals of international relations and geopolitics. He has received two honorary distinctions from the Greek Army General Staff and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

 

Vasilis (Vasileios) completed his MSc in Crisis & Security Management at Leiden University in June 2018. He holds a Bachelor’s degree (Ptychion) in International & European Studies from the University of Piraeus, where he briefly participated as a Junior Assistant Researcher in the BRICS research center and in the Turkish & Eurasian Studies Workshop with an emphasis in international conflicts & cybersecurity governance topics.

He has served internships at the Protocol department of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) in the Greek Ministry of Public Order & Citizen Protection, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne, Germany and completed his 9 months military service in the Hellenic Army Aviation. He has also worked as a Research Associate at the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH) supporting the research & project management activities in Fighting Crime & Terrorism (FCT) & cybersecurity (DS) EU funded projects. Since May 2022, he is working as a Junior Expert in Cybersecurity & Emerging Risks in Aviation at EASA.In November 2015 he joined the team of Junior Analysts of KEDISA and then he was promoted to Analyst and Senior Researcher. On June 30, 2018 he was elected a member of the Board of Advisors by the General Assembly of the Partners of KEDISA and took over the duties of Financial Manager. On June 30, 2021 he was re-elected a member of the Board of Advisors and assumed the duties of Secretary General. His main research interests include Cyber Security & Aviation Security and their interconnections to (Aviation) Safety, Crisis Management, and Turkish Foreign Policy. In addition to Greek, he speaks English, has an adequate knowledge of French, and a basic understanding of Turkish and German.

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.

 

Dragan was born in Belgrade in 1985. He has completed undergraduate studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Political Sciences, as a scholar of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hellenic Republic. During the academic year 2015/16 he attended Goethe University in Frankfurt as an exchange student, reading for postgraduate modules in Sociology of Financial Markets, Research Design, Banking in the New Normal and Big Data Technologies. Ηe worked as a marketing consultant for Belgrade-based microenterprise and as a guest economic analyst for Radio Belgrade 1, covering a number of events of critical importance for the world economy, including Greek crisis, bail-in in Cyprus and macroeconomic developments in European Monetary Union. Currently Dragan follows Postgraduate Specialization Program in Political History and Strategic Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His research work mainly focuses on the interplay between political and investment risk, with the emphasis on elevated possibility of conducting political warfare when both risks are high. Other research interests include: Monetary Policy Strategy, Commercial Banking, Sociological and Political Perspectives of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence Policy. He is fluent in Serbian, Greek and English, and speaks German and Russian as well.