Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
ORCID: 0000-0002-8017-497X
Maria is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, working within the Agriculture Cluster of the Environment and Climate Department. She brings extensive academic and research experience in agricultural sciences, plant pathology, and plant–microbe interactions. She holds both a BSc and an MSc in Agricultural Sciences, with a Major in Plant Protection and Environment, from the Agricultural University of Athens. Maria earned her PhD in Molecular Plant Pathology from the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology, and Food Science at Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), where her research focused on pathogen virulence and plant defense mechanisms. Following her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at CUT, contributing to Horizon 2020 and Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF)-funded programmes in the field of biodiversity and sustainable agricultural innovation. She also has teaching and student supervision experience at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her broader scientific interests include plant-pathogen interactions, with particular emphasis on the ethylene-dependent regulatory mechanisms of soil-borne pathogens. She also focuses on rhizosphere microbiome dynamics, and especially on the design and characterization of microbial communities aimed at enhancing plant health and suppressing diseases. Through her expertise, she aims to support the Centre’s mission by advancing plant pathology research and sustainable agriculture.
Participation in programmes subsidised by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus is subject to the following:
