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Dr Maria Karamanidou

Short Bio

maria karamanidou
Contact Details

m.karamanidou@uol.ac.cy

Limassol Campus 2: 3-5 Chaidariou Street, 3020 Limassol, Cyprus

+357 22266787

Personal Website

m.karamanidou.facultyresume.com

Dr Maria Karamanidou

Dr Maria Karamanidou

Dr Maria Karamanidou

Assistant Professor
Vice Chair of the Department of Education
Department of Education
EXPERTISE

I am an experienced educator and academic, specialising in primary school teacher training and educational leadership and management. My research focuses on school leadership and management, as well as teacher training in primary schools in Cyprus and the United Kingdom.

SHORT BIO

I hold a BA in Primary Education from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2010), an MA in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick (2011), and a PhD in Education from the University of Nottingham (2017), focusing on women principals in Cyprus primary schools. Currently, I serve as a Vice Chair of the Department of Education and Assistant Professor for the MSc in Education, Leadership, and Management at the University of Limassol. Before my employment at the University of Limassol, I held the role of Director for the BA Primary Education at Middlesex University in London, where I was a full-time Senior Lecturer in Education for seven years. For four years, I also held the role of the Scientific Collaborator at the European University Cyprus in the Education Department and UCLan Cyprus, contributing to their MA programs in Educational Leadership. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an active member of various professional bodies, including BELMAS and BERA. I am currently an active reviewer for ISEA and EMAL, which are two academic journals that cover the field of education and school leadership and management.

Selected Publications
  • Karamanidou, M. (2026). Enacting subject leadership as practice: Primary science and curriculum marginalisation in English primary schools. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 0(0),1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432261463182
  • Sakka, G., Kavarnou, D., Anastasou, M., Karamanidou, M., Panayiotou, I., & Howieson, W. B. (2026). Institutionalising Sustainability in Higher Education: From Fragmented Initiatives to Embedded Strategic Capability. Sustainability, 18(12), 6150. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126150
  • Karamanidou, M. (2026). Leading under scrutiny: Exploring the impact of Cyprus’s teacher evaluation system – A systematic review. Proceedings of the International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.33422/ictle.v2i1.1618
  • Karamanidou, M. (2026). Innovating teacher training in primary education: Cross-national lessons from Cyprus and the United Kingdom. In Proceedings of the Global Conference on Innovations in Education (EDUGLOBALCONF), 3(1):1-14, Diamond Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.33422/eduglobalconf.v3i1.1776
  • Karamanidou, M. (2026). Leading for a Sustainable Future: Sustainable Leadership in Cyprus Primary Schools. Education Sciences, 16(2), 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16020177
  • Karamanidou, M. (2025). The challenges of primary school teachers in Cyprus: A systematic review, Educational Futures, 16(2):55-108. Available at: https://educationstudies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/EF-16-2-06-Karamanidou.pdf
  • Karamanidou, M. (2025). Grow to lead: The case of Cyprus primary schools. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432251363127
  • Thorpe, A., and Karamanidou, M. (2024) The governance, leadership and management of complementary schools: the case of Greek Cypriot schools in England, Cambridge Journal of Education, 54:3, 317-335, DOI: 10.1080/0305764X.2024.2353049
  • Karamanidou, M. and Bush, T. (2017) Women Primary School Principals in Cyprus: Barriers and Facilitators to Progression, International Studies in Educational Administration, 45(1):70-86 London. 
  • Karamanidou, M. (2017) Women Principals in Cyprus Primary Schools: Barriers to Accession, Thesis submitted for the Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham, Available at: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk, University of Nottingham.
  • Karamanidou, M. (2011) Male and female leadership styles in Cyprus primary schools, Thesis submitted for the Master Degree at the University of Warwick, Available at: https://eprints.warwick.ac.uk, University of Warwick.

Conference contributions

  • Sergidou, N.M & Karamanidou, M. (2026). Educators’ Access to and Implementation of AI-Related Professional Development: Challenges and Barriers, in Proceedings of the 1st International Online Conference on Education Sciences, 15-17 June 2026, MDPI: Basel, Switzerland.
  • Karamanidou, M. (2026), Ο ρόλος του ηγέτη-διευθυντή στην πρόληψη και ειρηνική επίλυση συγκρούσεων στο σχολικό περιβάλλον, Σχολική Διαμεσολάβηση, Εναλλακτικές Πρακτικές Ειρηνικής Επίλυσης των Συγκρούσεων στο Σχολείο, University of Ioannina, 27-29 March 2026.
  • Karamanidou., M. (2025) The Challenges of Primary School Teachers in Cyprus: A Theoretical Review, Paper presented at TIESA Conference, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom.
  • Karamanidou, M., (2020) Leadership in large primary schools, Paper presented at the Annual BELMAS Conference, De Vere Horwood Estate, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
  • Karamanidou, M. (2017) Women Primary School Principals in Cyprus: Barriers and Facilitators to Progression, BELMAS, United Kingdom, Retrieved : http://www.belmas.org.uk/CoreCode/Admin/ContentManagement/MediaHub/Assets/FileDownload.ashx?fid=293532&pid=62182&lo
  • Karamanidou., M. (2016) Women Principals in Cyprus Primary Schools: Barriers to Accession, Paper (poster presentation) presented at the Annual BELMAS Conference, Cheshire, United Kingdom.
  • Karamanidou., M. (2016) Women principals in Cyprus primary schools: accession and enactment to principalship, Paper presented at the Gender, Leadership and Education Conference, University of Leicester, United Kingdom.
  • Karamanidou., M. (2015) Women Principals in Cyprus Primary Schools: Barriers to Accession, BELMAS, United Kingdom, (Retrieved from: http://www.belmasannualconference.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Maria-Karamanidou.pdf)
  • Karamanidou., M. (2014) Women principals in Cyprus primary schools: barriers and facilitators to accession, Paper presented at the Annual BELMAS Conference, Ettington Chase, Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom.

Blog and newspaper published articles:

Book chapters:

  • Karamanidou, M., Sergidou, N. M., & Kosmas, P. (2026). Συμπερίληψη και διαπολιτισμική εκπαίδευση: Ο ρόλος των ψηφιακών εργαλείων στην υποστήριξη μαθητών/τριών με προσφυγικό ή μεταναστευτικό υπόβαθρο. Στο P. Kosmas & S. Nikolidakis (Επιμ.), Νέες τεχνολογίες στην ειδική και συμπεριληπτική εκπαίδευση: Θεωρία, έρευνα και διδακτικές πρακτικές. Εκδόσεις Γρηγόρη.
PROJECTS
  • 2026 – ENDUeAI – COST Action CA25177 EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR DEVELOPING AND EVALUATING THE USE OF GENAI IN EDUCATION – (ENDUeAI), https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA25177/
  • 2025 – Consortium for European and African STEM Education – CoEASE project (CoEASE comprises a total of 26 Higher education institutions, 10 from Europe, 2 from UK and 14 from Sub-Saharan Africa). https://www.ntnu.edu/ilu/ilu/research/coease/how-to-participate
  • EMPOWER (Enhancing Mentorship and Professional Opportunities for Women through Education and Role-modelling in ICT), funded under the Erasmus+ Programme, ERASMUS-EDU-2024-POL-EXP-DIGITAL call.
  • Participant in COST Project Actions, which is a four-year, bottom-up research and innovation network funded by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), a European funding organisation.

Institutional Projects

  •  Since Dr. Karamanidou joined the University of Limassol, she has actively participated and assisted in the successful creation of the Department of Education, and helped in the successful creation and launch of one undergraduate and one postgraduate degree.

Call Center

CYPRUS

GREECE

INTERNATIONAL

Request Information Request Information ⟶

Informed Consent Form

Dear Participant,

You are invited to participate in a survey as part of the DiFiCy – Digital Transformation and FinTech: Shaping Cyprus’s Economy research project which is implemented by the University of Limassol, PwC Cyprus and Unity Growth Limited.

The project is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the Cohesion Policy Programme “THALIA 2021-2027” through the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) in Cyprus [Pr. number: EXCELLENCE/0524/0568].

The study has been approved by the National Bioethics Committee of Cyprus (Approval no.: EEBK EΠ 2025.01.19 )

This project explores digital transformation and FinTech adoption in Cyprus, with a particular focus on SMEs and the broader business ecosystem. It uses a mixed-methods research design, combining survey data with interviews and case study evidence to generate evidence-based insights for policymakers and businesses.

Before deciding whether to participate, please read the following information carefully.

Purpose of Participation

The purpose of this research is to better understand the drivers, challenges, and impacts of digital transformation and FinTech adoption in Cyprus. The findings aim to support evidence-based policymaking, strengthen business practices, and contribute to innovation and economic development.

Your participation involves the following:

Completion of this survey, which takes approximately 15 minutes.

Invitation to take part in an optional interview.

Contribution to a case study or discussion session at a later stage.

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to decline or withdraw at any time without any consequences.

If you wish to withdraw from the study after submitting your responses, you may do so by contacting the Project Coordinator.

Data Confidentiality and Usage

All data collected will be handled in strict accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Cyprus Data Protection Law (125(I)/2018).

Your data will be treated confidentially, pseudonymised and anonymised, and no personally identifiable information will be disclosed. Data will be securely stored and accessed only by authorised members of the research team. In some cases, qualitative data may be processed using machine learning techniques, such as keyword identification or pattern detection, strictly to support analysis; however, all interpretation and conclusions will be made by the researchers.

Aggregated and anonymised findings derived from the data (e.g., statistical summaries, graphs, and thematic insights) may be used for dissemination activities, including scientific publications, policy reports, infographics, and training materials. These outputs will not contain any information that could directly or indirectly identify participants or their organisations.

Anonymised data may be shared publicly after a 24-month embargo period, while raw or sensitive data will not be publicly available. Access to raw or sensitive data will be granted only upon justified request and consortium approval.

Your participation in this study does not involve any risks.

On the contrary, your contribution may help improve digital and FinTech policies, support SME development and innovation strategies, and enhance the overall business environment in Cyprus.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, withdraw requests or complaints, please contact the Project Coordinator, Dr. Snezana Eminidou. Please include “DiFiCy Survey” in the subject line.

Email: snezana@uol.ac.cy

Phone number: +357 22462228

Partnership:

Thank you for your valuable contribution to this research.

The project is implemented under the programme of social cohesion “THALIA 2021-2027” co-funded by the European Union, through the Research and Innovation Foundation in Cyprus [Pr. no. EXCELLENCE/0524/0568]. The content reflects the views of the author(s) only. The European Commission and the Managing Authority of THALIA 2021–2027 cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.