BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY / ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Qualifications:
BSc Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2016-2021
MSc Oceanography and Management of the Marine Environment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens – Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 2021-2024

Katerina is a marine scientist with an interdisciplinary background combining biological oceanography and environmental chemistry. She holds an MSc in Oceanography and Management of the Marine Environment (NKUA – HCMR, Greece), specializing in Biological Oceanography, where her thesis focused on a comparative study of benthic cover estimation methods from macroalgal photographic samples. She also holds a BSc in Chemistry from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), with a thesis on MOF-based photocatalysis for degrading an antidepressant drug in aqueous solutions.

She has gained hands-on experience across marine research and conservation, including an internship at the Coastal Biodiversity Lab of CIIMAR (Portugal) supporting research on kelp responses to climate change, experimental work on macroalgal physiology, kelp culture management, and mesocosm maintenance. She has also worked voluntarily with the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation (Greece), contributing to marine biodiversity surveys, Posidonia seagrass replanting, and outreach/logistics support. Her work is complemented by strong analytical and technical skills (e.g., CPCe, PhotoQuad, ArcGIS Pro, PRIMER-e, remote sensing analysis) and active engagement in environmental volunteering and science communication (e.g., with Greenpeace). She is a certified PADI Open Water Diver.

Katerina’s interests center on marine habitat monitoring and restoration, biodiversity assessment, benthic ecology, macroalgal communities, climate-change impacts on coastal ecosystems, marine conservation, and management.

Contact at: keconomou@merresearch.com