Learn about the CHS Visiting Researchers in Nafplio 2024

Aiming to support the work of early career researchers from Greek Universities and foster the interdisciplinary dialogue, CHS Greece offered the Visiting Researchers in Nafplio program for the second time. This program includes two week-long visits to the CHS facilities in Nafplio, where young researchers benefit from access to resources and tools provided by the Harvard University digital library. They also have the opportunity to collaborate and interact with the CHS academic community. The visiting researchers recently completed their first week of research in Nafplio from June 16 to June 22. During this period, they met and interacted with their CHS Greece academic advisors and other members of the academic committee, they discussed topical issues in their fields and the interdisciplinary dialogue among them, and they received feedback on their research after presenting it. In September 2024, the visiting researchers will return to CHS Greece for their second week of research and to participate in activities related to the CHS Greece community. The following text provides information on the profiles of the five researchers and their experiences during their first week of research in Nafplio. The five fields participating in the program are:

• Natural Sciences
• Theater, Cinema, and Performing Arts
• Architecture and Urban Design
• Greek Language and Culture
• Political Theory and International Relations

Natural Sciences

Konstantinos Vogiatzoglou

Project: “Understanding Wildfire Dynamics: A Physics-Based Approach to Decision Support Systems”

Αbout his research visit

Participating in the “Visiting Researchers in Nafplio” program, organized by the CHS Greece from June 16–22, 2024, has been an extraordinary and transformative experience. This significant opportunity allowed me to immerse myself in a profound academic environment, collaborate with fellow Ph.D. candidates, and receive invaluable support from esteemed advisors across diverse scientific fields. A highlight of my research journey was the unparalleled access to Harvard University’s extensive digital library resources. The comprehensive collection encompassed a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, providing me with invaluable scholarly materials relevant to my field of wildfire spread prediction and management. Moreover, one of the most enriching aspects of this journey was the chance to collaborate and communicate with the other four Ph.D. candidates, selected for this program. Despite our varied research focuses, we found common ground in our passion for advancing knowledge and addressing perennial challenges. Our daily interactions and discussions were intellectually stimulating as we exchanged ideas and insights from our respective fields. These conversations often revealed surprising connections between our topics, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of research. I am deeply grateful to CHS Greece and Harvard University for this exceptional opportunity. This experience has not only broadened my academic horizons but also reinforced the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship in driving innovative research and addressing global challenges.

Konstantinos Vogiatzoglou is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Thessaly with the dissertation title “Data-informed Digital Twin for Wildfire Spreading Management”. He completed his undergraduate studies with an excellent GPA, and he chose to continue at the same university to elevate his scientific ambitions. For his undergraduate thesis, he designed software to simulate wildfire spread utilizing a physics-based modeling approach. This project introduced him to the significant environmental challenges posed by megafires. To enhance the model’s accuracy in predicting wildfire spread and to effectively coordinate societal responses to this ecological hazard, he is working on developing a real-time decision-support system that integrates the entire framework of wildfire management. His academic interests span various scientific fields, including environmental technology, computational science, uncertainty quantification, and artificial intelligence-machine learning.

Theater, Cinema, and Performing Arts

Aikaterini Kandylidou

Project: “Post-soviet Dramaturgy: The Theatrical Plays of Ivan Vyrypaev”

Αbout her research visit

The week I spent at the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Nafplio was one of the most important and beautiful experiences I have had in my entire academic career till now. In addition to the courteous, ready to help, staff of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies, I had the honor and luckiness to work with four researchers from other disciplines who proved to be valuable collaborators and now I can say friends. Through fruitful discussions about poetry, theatre, literature, architecture and...fires, we were able to discover the interdisciplinary that permeates our research. Moreover, we gained an in-depth understanding of how ultimately five people with different backgrounds but common vision and goals can fit together under the right circumstances through a shared experience. Additional positive features are of course added to the rich materials offered by the library of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, Harvard University. In addition, I had the honor to meet five excellent and very helpful scientists and professors with whom we had the opportunity to collaborate, discuss and reflect on our research. The project I worked on during the week was on the aspect of the supernatural and elements of existentialism in Ivan Vyrypaev’s theatrical plays UFO and Genesis N.2.

Katerina Kandylidou is a dramaturg, creator, and researcher of the performative arts. She is a graduate from the Department of Theatre of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the direction of Dramaturgy-Performativity. She holds a Master’s degree (MS in Art Management) from the St. Petersburg University of Economics. As part of her studies (undergraduate and postgraduate) she has attended courses through scholarships at Lodz University, Goethe Institut of Berlin and Ghent University. Since 2020 she has been a PhD Candidate at the Department of Balkan and Slavic Studies of the University of Macedonia with a thesis topic “Post-Soviet dramaturgy: the works of Ivan Vyrypaev and his work with the actor” (committee of three: Ioannidou A., Stavrakopoulou A., V., Pipinia I.). As part of her doctoral studies, she has done an internship at the Teal House Foundation, in Warsaw, where Ivan Vyrypaev is the founder and has translated his plays. She has worked as a theatre educator and has written theatrical plays for various social groups (elderly people, children from primary school, visually impaired people, refugees, prisoners, former drug users, etc.). In addition, she has worked with Man in the Sea and Novan Theatre Group as an external collaborator. As a researcher, she focuses mainly on post-Soviet period theatre in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, documentary theatre and performing arts in the 21st century. From time to time she attends seminars, conferences, and training programs. She has spoken at the Culture-Borders-Gender Lab, at the 7th Panhellenic Theatre Conference and at the Social Anthropology Conference in Mytilene, Lesvos. She teaches in primary education and also teaches theatre, cinema, and creative writing in the therapeutic communities of KETHEA (Ithaca, Anadysi, Prometheus, in the Diavata detention centre, etc.). Since 2019 she has been a member of the committee for the promotion of the culture of Pontic Greeks.

Architecture and Urban Design

Vasiliki Filou

Project: “Investigating the Boundaries of the School Environment of Secondary Education in relation to the Urban Fabric”

Αbout her research visit

The fact that the school environment should be treated as a vital social space that contributes not only to education but also to the social cohesion of all members of the school and local community is the subject of my research, for which I was selected as a Visiting Researcher 2024 at the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University in Greece. The week in Nafplio was a very constructive one, during which, me and my four fellow researchers had access to Harvard’s archives and interacted with distinguished scientists and supervising professors, who guided us and contributed to the advancement of our research and, by extension, our doctoral dissertations. I had the opportunity to meet and connect with so many different and interesting people, and, of course, with the beautiful community of the Center. We gained a lot through dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration over these days, and I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the academic community of CHS Greece.

Vasiliki Filou completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her interest in monuments and cultural heritage led her to pursue a Master of Science in Conservation Technology for Masonry Buildings at the Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malta. Upon returning to Greece, she passed the entrance exams for the Department of Primary Education at Democritus University of Thrace. Since 2022, she has had the opportunity to become a PhD candidate in the Department of Architecture at Democritus University of Thrace, under the supervision of Associate Professor Maria Grigoriadou, and to provide teaching assistance in various courses on composition and urban design. Her PhD dissertation topic is "Transformations in School Architecture: Proposals of Amendment to the Design Guidelines of School Units of Secondary Education." It focuses on evaluating spatial organization, with particular emphasis on the design of open and closed spaces to create dynamic educational environments that align with modern pedagogical methods. Since 2020, alongside her research activity, she has been running an architectural office based in Xanthi.

Greek Language and Culture

Dimitrios Cheilaris

Project: “Subversive Transformations of Helen in Post-War Poetry”

Αbout his research visit

During my stay at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, Harvard University (June 16–22, 2024) as a visiting researcher, I had the honor of meeting the hospitable and always helpful staff, whose support significantly enhanced this remarkable experience. I made the most of my time by utilizing the Center’s extensive digital library, enriching my bibliography with invaluable materials that filled critical gaps in my research. The project I presented focused on the transformations of the mythical Helen in post-war poetry, which is one of the chapters of my PhD thesis. I focused on an interdisciplinary approach to the myth, considering the broader social and historical context in which it is created and evolves, while highlighting the rich intertextuality that permeates it. I also had the opportunity to collaborate seamlessly with PhD students from various disciplines. We discovered many commonalities between our fields, which initially seemed diverse. However, interdisciplinarity was maximized through our final presentations and daily constructive discussions. Through these fruitful scientific dialogues, new research questions emerged, challenging me in various ways, and we discussed potential future interdisciplinary collaborations. Our experience was further enriched by interactions with the members of the academic committee, who were extremely helpful and provided valuable feedback through their insightful interventions and suggestions. Undoubtedly, this week was one of my most significant research experiences, as it laid new foundations for my work and encouraged me to think “outside the box”. I eagerly anticipate continuing this exciting research journey at the Center for Hellenic Studies, which has only just begun!

Dimitrios Cheilaris is a graduate of the Department of Philology at the University of Patras, specializing in Classical Philology. He holds a Master’s degree in Modern Greek Studies, for which he received the “Maria Kyriazopoulou-Mirasgezi”scholarship. Currently he is a PhD candidate in Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, working on a dissertation titled “Aspects of the Mythical Intertext in Post-War Poetry”. His research is supported by a scholarship from the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ELIDEK). His dissertation focuses on the post-war generations, where there is a plethora of metamorphoses and appropriations of ancient myths in the field of modern Greek, as well as European literature. Simultaneously, since 2014 he has been actively participated in the organizing committee of the Colloquium of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature (Laboratory of Archival Documents and Press). He has also contributed to the writing and editorial work of the periodic publication of the University of Patras’ journal @Up. He has participated as a personal tutor in the GinG (Greek in Greece) language program aimed at teaching Ancient Greek to foreign students in collaboration with Ohio University. Additionally, he participated in an Erasmus Placement program in Frankfurt. His research interests include comparative literature, gender studies, and the reception of ancient myth in Greek post-war generations. His work has been published in the journal Embolimon and e-Comparison.

Political Theory and International Relations

Jason Koutoufaris-Malandrinos

Project: “Greece as the Continuator State of the Byzantine Republic”

Αbout his research visit

The CHS Visiting Researchers in Nafplio program promised a treasure trove of knowledge in Harvard’s digital library, and collaboration with brilliant minds ready to delve into interdisciplinary discourse. The Center surpassed my expectations. The digital library did indeed overflow with riches, but serendipitous discoveries also awaited in the more unassuming physical library of the Center. The academic advisors, far from stern figures, emerged as experienced and enthusiastic mentors, their guidance seasoned with warmth. The staff (especially Evan, Matina, and Katerina) showed themselves to be much more than facilitators; they were fellow travelers on this journey. The program, however, evolved into something far greater than anticipated when I met my fellow researchers. We bonded with an intensity that surprised even ourselves. Our days were not solely dedicated to research in the strictest sense: we reveled in the town’s pulse, our walks and talks filled with laughter. We came to know each other more that we could have ever foreseen and less than we would eventually wish. A flicker of guilt arose: was I enjoying myself at the expense of research? This fear dissipated during our more “formal” presentations in front of our advisors. Interdisciplinary dialogue, I realized, was not something to be meticulously planned, but the by-product of our jovial and companionable coexistence. The pursuit of knowledge, it seems, thrives not just in well-stocked libraries, but in the vibrant tapestry of human connection. I left, not with a head brimming with dry facts, but with a heart replete with the unexpected sweetness of camaraderie, a testament to the fact that true learning often blossoms in the fertile ground of shared experiences.

Born in Athens in 1992, Jason Koutoufaris-Malandrinos has been practicing law there since 2020. He graduated from the Law School of the University of Athens, where he also completed his postgraduate studies in Philosophy of Law. He is currently a PhD candidate in Constitutional Law at the University of Thessaloniki, studying the legal and political thought of Athanasios Christopoulos (1772-1847). His research interests focus on (but are not limited to) the Constitutional Theory, Philosophy of Law, History of Institutions, and History of Concepts. He has so far published over 60 scientific works, and participated in the founding and management of Archeiothrafstis (a scientific journal turned into a publishing house), Archiopedia (a project of investigative encyclopedism), and the Isonomia Institute (the think tank that has been supporting the aforementioned since 2020).