Andreas Vavvos graduated from the University of Crete majoring in Psychology. He was awarded his master’s from the Department of Sociology, University of Crete. He is a Ph.D. student at the same department but spent his first year at the Department of Social Anthropology, Saint Andrews, as the dissertation is written under a cotutelle agreement. The dissertation is located at the collaborative intersection between social anthropology and critical psychology, exploring how diverse social groups comprehend their futures in an interconnected global sector (energy). The dissertation explores social activism, coal mine closures, visions for the future, and opposition of miners’ unions to energy transitions in Western Macedonia (Greece) and other parts of the country. Andreas is concerned with a better understanding of human agency, particularly future anticipation, and utopian thinking. As such, the dissertation attempts to contribute to ongoing debates in both social anthropology and critical psychology, where questions of temporality, the consequences of enforced labor transitions, the influence of social movements, and the implications of scalar methodologies are currently at the fore. Andreas works as a social researcher in the research programs “SIGMA – Sustainable Innovation and Governance in the Mediterranean Area for the WEF Nexus” (Prima Project) and ”Moving – Mountain Valorization through Interconnectedness and Green Growth” (Horizon 2020). He won a scholarship for financial aid thanks to academic excellence during his postgraduate studies (Special Account for Research Grants of the University of Crete) and a scholarship for financial aid from the Konstantinos Vellios institution for undergraduate studies. As an IKY Fulbright Visiting Research Student, he will spend a 6-month period at Rice University in Houston, Texas, at the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Environmental Studies. The main focus in the United States will be the investigation of diverse epistemological and methodological frameworks in researching and understanding energy transitions. The coursework in the U.S.A. will consist of pertinent energy courses, lectures, and teaching activities that will aid in the exploration of the leading theoretical frameworks for the energy transition. Towards these ends, the research will concentrate on analyzing Greece's energy transition using collaborative ethnography as a method and critical realism as an epistemological framework. Texas is the ideal site for anyone interested in studying the energy transition since there, the effects of climate change are already evident. In the U.S.A, and particularly in Texas, the energy transition has proceeded, and significant steps are being taken that could hasten the shift while improving energy affordability and promoting inclusive economic growth. While heading in the same direction, Greece's transition is less smooth. Andreas is also interested in understanding how energy communities in Texas manage transition challenges.

Christos Lougiakis is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. As part of his research, he is currently exploring novel interaction mechanics in XR and their effects on the perceptual and cognitive processes. He holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Computer Science, which he acquired from the same institution of higher education. Additionally, he is a researcher and technical lead as part of the narralive team at the Athena Research and Innovation Center in Athens. He is leading the design and development process of the team’s technical and research efforts related with finding effective ways of user interaction and creating meaningful experiences in VEs. In the past, he has designed and developed the team’s authoring and experiencing systems for digital interactive narratives in cultural heritage through web and VR applications. As an IKY Fulbright Visiting Ph.D. Student, Christos will join the 3D Interaction Group in the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech, under the supervision of Professor Doug Bowman for a 6-month period. During this period, Christos will explore the effects of physics-simulated hand interaction in the user experience, specifically the user's performance, preference and sense of virtual embodiment, while being immersed in XR environments. The scholarship opportunity aligns perfectly with his previous research and his future ambitions and aspirations for improving the realism and intuitiveness of hand interactions. By undertaking this program, Christos' goal is to deepen his knowledge, gain invaluable experience, and push the boundaries of XR interaction research through collaborating with other experts and renowned scientists in the field.

Electra Chatzidimitriou is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in the field of Clinical Neuropsychology at the School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), under the supervision of Associate Professor of Cognitive Geropsychology, Dr. Despina Moraitou. Electra holds a B.Sc. degree in Psychology and a M.Sc. degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from the same university. Throughout her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, her main clinical and research focus has been the neuropsychological evaluation of the elderly for the assessment of potential neurodegenerative disorders, as well as the design of evidence-based therapeutic interventions with the aim of improving the quality of life of these individuals. During her doctoral studies, she investigates the predictive factors of longitudinal functional decline in patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). It is a comprehensive longitudinal study encompassing clinical and neuropsychological assessments, as well as neuroimaging data using brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans. As an IKY Fulbright Visiting Research Student, Electra has been granted the opportunity to further advance her Ph.D. work undertaking a 6-month research placement at the Memory and Aging Center of the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), under the supervision of Professor Katherine P. Rankin. During the grant period, she will be given the chance to further specialize in the diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions offered to patients with neurodegenerative diseases, to carry out empirical work investigating the relationships between brain, cognition, and behavior and to receive training in advanced research methods and statistical analysis techniques, skills that are regarded as crucial for a researcher in the field of Clinical Neuropsychology. Finally, in accordance with the objectives of her doctoral thesis, she will collaborate with Dr. Rankin to analyze longitudinal data of patients with bvFTD to investigate the trajectories of functional status, and examine the key predictive factors of clinical outcomes in this specific clinical group. Participating in this research placement at one of the best research centers in the field of neurodegenerative disorders worldwide is expected to have multiple significant benefits for her, both in relation to the preparation of her doctoral dissertation, as well as her subsequent academic career as a researcher in the field of Clinical Neurosciences. It encompasses all the essential elements to propel her academic aspirations to new heights and holds the potential to shape her future career trajectory.

Theodora Chatzilygeroudi is a Ph.D. candidate at the Medical School, University of Patras, where she also obtained her medical degree in 2017. Her passion for hematology was ignited unexpectedly during her medical school years and was established through a 3-month Erasmus placement clinical attachment at St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, UK. After graduation, she worked as a clinical trials sub-investigator in the Hematology Department, University Hospital of Patras, and she was chosen to participate in a 4-month postgraduate internship program for young doctors at Hygeia Hospital in Athens. Upon returning to Patras to start her residency, her Ph.D. research journey in the area of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) was also initiated. Her research focuses on understanding epigenetic changes in MDS during hypomethylating agent (HMA) treatment and investigating fetal hemoglobin (HbF) re-expression as a prognostic tool. As an IKY Fulbright Visiting Research Student, she will spend a 6-month period at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, at the Department of Oncology/Hematologic Malignancies, under the supervision of Dr. Karantanos. During this period, she aims to provide answers for the role of an HbF repressor, LRF/ZBTB7A, in MDS pathogenesis and disease progression, HMA resistance and HbF re-expression, using MDS cell lines and gene-editing tools. Hematology is a rapidly evolving field, where exciting breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment continually advance our knowledge and practice. She views research and its translational aspects as a means of fulfilling her desire to make a creative impact on patients' lives. She believes that establishing vibrant labs, able to produce new knowledge is essential for the Greek hematology society. This experience will provide her with access to a wealth of knowledge and state-of-the-art techniques and it is ideal for her to conclude her thesis in a more comprehensive manner. It will also allow her to connect with experts in her field, promote the exchange of research ideas, and spark scientific inspiration for future projects.