Department of Marine Sciences

University of the Aegean

The Department of Marine Sciences (DMS) is the only Greek academic unit offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of Oceanography, while conducting international level research. DMS conducts research in various areas related to the marine environment, such as climate change, ecosystem functioning and health, marine biodiversity and conservation, fisheries, aquaculture and marine resources in general, as well as coastal zone problems such as coastal erosion and pollution. These activities are implemented by the following Research Laboratories: Environmental Quality and Geospatial Applications, Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management, Ichthyology, Aquaculture and Fisheries Diseases, Ecology and System Dynamics, Physical and Chemical Oceanography and Coastal Morphodynamics-Management and Marine Geology. At the same time as the above research, the Department contributes to the global oceanographic community through the development of new methods and instruments. DMS stands at the forefront of marine research through observation, theory, modelling and technological innovation, as well as international collaborations with leading marine research institutes.

Members of the Research Team

Vassilis Zervakis. Vassilis Zervakis studied at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (Bachelor in Physics, 1982-1987) and at the Oregon State University College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. (Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography, 1987-1993). He has worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Spain (AINCO-InterOcean, 1995-1996) and as a research associate at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (1996-2004). Since 2004 she is a Faculty member of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of the Aegean. His research interests include the interannual variability of the Mediterranean Sea and the role of the exchanges with the Black Sea, small-scale processes and internal waves, air-sea exchanges and physical-biological interactions. Most emphasis has been given to the revelation of the insulating role of the Black Sea Waters in the North Aegean Sea, as well as the analysis of the turbulent diffusion acting in its deep sub-basins during stagnation periods. Current activities include the application of Lagrangian methodologies on oil-spill dispersion studies and the use of a coastal HF radar in the long-term assessment of the Aegean-Black Sea exchanges. He has participated or directed a large number of European and National Research Programs, collaborating with a number of International and National Research Centers and Universities. His published research work includes more than 50 scientific papers in International peer-reviewed journals and Book Chapters as well as more than 80 contributions to Greek and international peer-reviewed conferences proceedings.

Drosos Koutsoumbas. Drosos Koutsoubas studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Bachelor in Biology, 1980-1985, and PhD in Marine Biology, 1992). During the period 1986-1994 he worked as a Research Associate at the Department of Biology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, while in the period 1994-1999 he worked as a Researcher at the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (ITHABIK), in charge of the Benthic Ecology Laboratory and Biological Resources Management. Since 1999 he is a Faculty member of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of the Aegean, where he teaches Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in the field of Biological Oceanography. His research interests are Marine Biodiversity, Ecology of Macrobenthic Communities in Coastal and Deep-Sea Ecosystems, Fisheries Biology, Populations Dynamics and Management Resources of Marine Invertebrates with commercial interest (Molluscs), Pollution and Impact Assessment Studies in Coastal and Transitional Water Ecosystems, Conservation and Coastal Zone Management, Aquaculture and Marine Environment Interactions, Invasive species and Climate change, Marine Protected Areas, Diving Tourism and Environmental Education. He has participated or directed a series of European and National Research Programs, specializing in the structure, functioning, protection and management of marine ecosystems and their biological resources, in collaboration with a series of International and National Research Centers. He has served as an evaluator of European and National research projects. His published work includes more than 75 scientific papers in International peer-reviewed journals and Book Chapters as well as more than 100 papers in Greek and International peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Since 2010 he has been the Head of the Management Body of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos and member of the Scientific Committee of the MedPAN Network.

Stelios Katsanevakis. Stelios Katsanevakis studied at the National Technical University of Athens (Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1990-1995), then got a Master’s Degree in Oceanography at the University of Athens (1998-2000), where he also got his PhD degree in Biological Oceanography (2001-2004). He worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Biology Department of the University of Athens between 2005-2006, and between 2007-2001 as Researcher in the Institute of Marine Biological resources of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research. Between 2011-2014 he worked as Researcher in the Institute for Environment and Sustainability of the Joint Research Center in Italy. From 2014 he worked as an Associate Professor, and from 2019 as a Professor, in the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of the Aegean, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Marine Ecology and Biodiversity. His main current research interests include benthic ecology, marine conservation, systematic conservation planning, biological invasions, and non-destructive methods of ecological monitoring. He has coordinated or participated in a large number of research projects (e.g. Marisca (π.χ. Marisca – ; MarCons – http://www.marcons-cost.eu/). His published work includes more than 280 publications, of which 146 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and his work has received >7000 citations.

Evangelia Krasakopoulou. Evangelia Krasakopoulou is Associate Professor of the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of the Aegean, focusing on chemical oceanography. Before joining the University in 2013, she has worked for 19 years (1994-2013) as researcher at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). Her scientific interests include: Biogeochemical cycling and dynamics of bioelements in transitional, coastal and open sea environments, thermodynamics of the CO2-carbonate system and air-sea exchange of CO2, Ocean acidification, tracing water mass formation, circulation and history based on the study of the marine environment chemical characteristics and their variability, particulate organic matter dynamics and seawater optical properties, marine litter (macro- and micro-) at the marine and coastal environment. Since 1994 she was actively involved in 15 EU-funded multidisciplinary research projects in the Mediterranean Sea focusing on the biogeochemical processes in the coastal and open sea environment of the Mediterranean and their responses to circulation features, climatic and environmental change and in more than 30 national projects. In 6 of the national projects, she was the coordinator of the entire team that included scientists from the other oceanographic disciplines (physics, biology, geology). She has published more than 65 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, special editions and book chapters, as well as a large number of contributions in greek and international conferences proceedings and technical reports.

Elina Tragou. Elina Tragou studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Bachelor Degree in Physics, 1984-1989 and Master’s Degree in Physical Oceanography, 1989-1992), and at the University of Victoria, Canada (PhD in Physical Oceanography, 1993-1998). She has worked as postdoctoral researcher at the University of Athens in 1999-2000, and as a research associate at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research 2001-2004. Since 2004 she is a Faculty member of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of the Aegean. Her research and teaching activities include the role of the ocean in climate, climate variability and climate change, and in particular air-sea exchanges and their impact on oceanic circulation, the physical functioning of semi-enclosed basins due to buoyancy forcing, intermediate and deep water formation processes, as well as measurements of small-scale process. She has participated in more than 20 national and international research programs and is the author of more than 40 scientific papers published in international and Greek scientific journals, book chapters and international and Greek peer-reviewed conference proceedings.

Vasileios Kolovogiannis. Dr. Vasileios Kolovoyiannis graduated in 1998 from the Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Greece (B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences, Degree: 8.29) and acquired his Master in Oceanography in 2000 from the Department of Oceanography, School of the Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Southampton, U.K. He completed his PhD studies in 2014 in the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of the Aegean, having received a scholarship for Ph.D. studies in Greece from the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. Since 2014, he has been a member of the faculty of the Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, as Laboratory Teaching Staff, in the field of ‘Simulation of Marine Processes’. From this position, he has participated in the teaching of several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Numerical Models in Oceanography, Modelling and Applications, Introduction to Informatics and Programming, Applied Marine Ecology, Models in Ecology. His research interests focus on hydrodynamic and ecological processes in the water column of coastal seas and interactions with the land, numerical simulations and modelling methods, coastal water quality in the context of coastal zone management and he has experience with physical and chemical oceanography field measurements. He has participated in several national and international research projects and he has published work in international scientific journals and presence in scientific conferences.

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