Dr. Chrysi Laspidou, PhD

Prof. C. Laspidou is a Full Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Thessaly and Vice-Rector of Innovation, Internationalization, Collaborations and Digital Governance. She also serves as Head of the Innovation & Technology Transfer Unit and Entrepreneurship Center “One Planet Thessaly”, contributing to the connection between academic research, innovation, entrepreneurship, society and the economy.

She holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University, USA, where she focused on Nexus Informatics, sustainability, resilience, climate change adaptation, innovation and transformative change. She also holds an MSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, USA.

Since 2003, she has been a faculty member at the University of Thessaly, where she has served as Assistant, Associate and Full Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering. Her teaching and research focus on water systems, hydroinformatics, ICT applications in water management, smart water technologies, climate resilience, sustainability, systems thinking, Nature-Based Solutions, the Water–Energy–Food–Biodiversity Nexus, the Sustainable Development Goals and One Health.

Professor Laspidou has held important international leadership roles. From 2020 to 2024, she served as Vice President of Collaborations and member of the Board of Directors of Water Europe in Brussels, contributing to strategic planning and decision-making in the fields of digital water, sustainability and the European Water Vision. Since 2018, she has also been a member of the Steering Committee of the Nexus Knowledge Action Network of Future Earth, supporting holistic approaches to complex Nexus challenges.

Her research activity includes coordination and leadership roles in major European and international projects. She is Scientific Project Leader of the Horizon Europe project ENHANCE, which focuses on enabling One Health coastal management through advanced Artificial Intelligence, Marine Copernicus data and citizen science. She is also Work Package Leader in NATALIE, a Horizon Europe project on transformative Nature-Based Solutions for climate resilience, and Scientific Project Leader in ENFORCE, which empowers citizens to collaborate with public authorities in environmental protection.

Professor Laspidou coordinated the Horizon 2020 project ARSINOE, a major European initiative on climate-resilient regions through systemic solutions and innovations, with a total budget of more than €15.6 million. She also coordinated the EU COST Action NexusNet on the Water–Energy–Food Nexus for a low-carbon economy in Europe and beyond. In addition, she has served as Work Package Leader or Coordinator in several major European projects, including MAGO, SIM4NEXUS, NEXOGENESIS, Water4Cities, LOTUS and SMS.

Her scientific work bridges engineering, environmental sustainability, digital transformation, climate adaptation and systems-based governance. Through her research and institutional leadership, she promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, technology transfer, innovation ecosystems and evidence-based solutions for resilient and sustainable societies.

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):