Staff

Interim Executive Director

Dr. Christos Aliprantis
Christos Aliprantis is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations and Interim Executive Director of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at Anatolia American University. He studied history in Athens, Vienna, and Budapest, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge with a dissertation on transnational political policing in nineteenth century Europe. Prior to joining Anatolia, he was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, a Marie Sklodowska Curie Research Fellow at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Associate at Ruhr University in Bochum, and an Early Career Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies of Harvard University in Greece. More recently, in 2025, he also served as a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at George Washington University and as a Visiting Research Fellow at Princeton University. His research interest and publications include two co-edited volumes as well as numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on state formation, policing, migration, and nationalism in Europe from the nineteenth century to the present.

Members

Dr. Joseph Michael Gratale
Joseph Michael Gratale is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Anatolia American University, where he teaches a range of courses in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. After completing his BA in History and an MA in Sociology in the USA, he went on to complete a Ph.D in Thessaloniki, Greece, at Aristotle University in the School of English. His dissertation focused on American studies, primarily the role of travel narratives and colonial-postcolonial discourses in North America from the 1600s to the 1800s. He has published articles, book chapters, and book reviews on topics related to American history and culture, cultural studies, and globalization. His recent research interests include war and culture, cultural globalization, and cultural geography.

Dr. Pavlos Koktsidis
Pavlos Koktsidis is Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Anatolia American University. He lectures on International Relations, Foreign Policy, Security and Strategic Studies, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution. Prior to his appointment at Anatolia, he was project manager and researcher for the externally funded program on Eastern Mediterranean Geopolitics (LowGeo) and for the joint EU EastMed Erasmus+ programme (2016-2019). His research focuses on ethnic conflict and security analysis in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, federalism and state-building, war and the development of strategic thought in international relations. He is Senior Researcher at the Institute for Studies of Politics and Democracy (ISPD).

Dr. Maria Kyriakidou
Maria Kyriakidou is Professor and Chair at the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at Anatolia American University, where she teaches courses on Greek history, politics and gender since 1997. After her B.A. and M.A. degrees in History and Archaeology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, she received a Fulbright scholarship and completed another M.A. in Anthropology at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. She gained her Ph.D. in Modern Greek Studies from King’s College, University of London. In addition to her teaching experience, she has published articles on gender history and women in politics in Greek and international scientific journals. She is the author of a monograph on gendered approaches to local democracy published in Greece and co-edited a volume on women in art published in the UK while she participated in a great number of international conferences and organized many workshops and presentations on topics related to her areas of expertise.

Dr. Tina Mavrikos
Tina Mavrikos is Associate Professor of Political Science and European Studies at Anatolia American University. Over the thirty years of her teaching, she has taught courses in international relations, the European Union, political theory and sociology, to name but a few areas. She has taught in the United States at Hofstra University, Adelphi University, and Colgate University, all located in New York. Her numerous research and publications have included contributions to volumes, articles in journals, and academic periodicals. Her most recent contribution to a volume, published by Edward Elgar Publications, July 2022, is entitled “Reconsidering Sovereign Borders and Authority: Irregular Migration into Europe,” in Reconfigurations of Authority, Power and Territoriality, Edited by Stephen J. Rosow, George Andreopoulos. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Global Policy Journal, Democratization, and Mediterranean Quarterly. She is a member of the Executive Council of the Interdisciplinary Studies Section (IDSS) of the International Studies Association, a member of the IIE (Institute for International Education), and Nationality Studies.

Dr. Lambrini Nassis
Lambrini Nassis is Attorney-at-Law and Adjunct Professor of International Law and International organisations at Anatolia American University. Her areas of expertise and her research interests include International Law, International Human Rights Law, International Trade Law, International Organisations, International Relations. She participated in a number of international conferences and panel discussions where she presented on topics related to her areas of expertise.