CyOSH 2025 Conference
Speakers
Dr. Cleo Varianou-Mikellidou
Lecturer in OSH, Operation Manager at CERIDES – European University Cyprus
Cleo Varianou-Mikellidou, PhD, is a Lecturer in Occupational Safety & Health and Operation Manager at CERIDES -European University Cyprus. Cleo has BSc in Physics, MSc in Safety, Health and Environment, PhD in Occupational Safety & Health. Her research interests focus on ageing, Occupational Health and Safety management systems, ergonomics, teleworking, well-being, first responders’ safety and Occupational Safety & Health. Considering her research career within the framework of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), several projects (Horizon, Erasmus etc.), emphasizing on sustainable healthy workplaces and risk assessment for first responders, pointing towards the elimination of occupational accidents and diseases, were completed at national and European level. She developed the National Policy on Healthy Workplaces for all Ages in cooperation with the Department of Labour Inspection of Cyprus (DLI). The Policy was followed by the development of a web application and an electronic guide for teleworking and OSH during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Cleo was leading the analysis of occupational accidents in Cyprus from 1999-2019.
Cleo is a lecturer in the Master of Occupational Safety and Health and in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at European University Cyprus. She is an Editor in Safety Science Journal. Finally, she is a Health and Safety Consultant since 2009. She has extensive experience in training, advising and consulting organizations on how to maintain a safe and healthy working environment applying risk assessments, how to adhere to Health and Safety legislation, and how to gain certification according to the international standards ISO9001, ISO45001 and ISO14001. Cleo has experience in risk assessment and is a licensed risk assessor from the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance of Cyprus.
Michalis Vrachimis
PhD Candidate, European University Cyprus
Vrachimis is an experienced Operations Executive specializing in manufacturing, engineering and quality management. With a strong background in highly regulated industries, he has held key leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer in the pharmaceutical sector and Operational Director in fiber cement manufacturing, focusing on optimizing production and regulatory compliance. Michalis is pursuing a Ph.D. in Occupational Safety and Health at European University Cyprus, with a research focus on the impact of digital technologies on workplace safety and health. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) and an active participant in the COST Association’s European network on workforce adaptability.
Dr. Ioannis Dokas
Professor, Civil Engineering Department, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Ioannis Dokas is a Professor of Systems Safety Engineering at Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. He leads the Risk and Resilience Assessment Center and serves as Associate Editor for Safety Science journal. His research encompasses systems safety, hazard analysis, accident models, early warning systems, proactive risk management, and crisis management. Ioannis has managed research projects with over 3 million Euros in funding and has published more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. In 2025, he received the Democritus University of Thrace Award for Excellence in Teaching. Since 2022, he has been investigating the potential of LLMs and AI technologies in safety.
Julia Flintrop
Research Project Manager, EU-OSHA
Julia Flintrop is a psychologist specialised in occupational safety and health. She is working as a research project manager with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) in Bilbao. She is the project manager in charge of the Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA) programme at EU-OSHA and she is the leading project manager for the upcoming campaign 2026-28 on mental health and psychosocial risks.
Julia has obtained an extensive experience on occupational safety and health, both at national and international level, in private and public sector. She has started her career working for a consultancy in Berlin specialised in assessing and managing psychosocial risks. She then changed to the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, from where she was sent as a Seconded National Expert to the EU-OSHA in Bilbao. Afterwards she worked on EU and national OSH projects for a consultancy in Hamburg, Germany, before she obtained a post as a research project manager in the EU-OSHA in 2011.
Dr. Nélson Costa
Human Factors & Ergonomics, University of Minho
Nelson Costa is a Professor in Ergonomics and Human Factors at the University of Minho (Portugal). Author of several papers in international peer-reviewed journals, communications in international conference proceedings and book chapters. Coordinator of international and national externally funded research projects in the domains of Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Hygiene.
Dr. Athanasios Athanasiou
First Medical Officer, Medical Services & Services of Public Health, Consultant Occupational Physician, Ministry of Labour & Social Insurance
Athanasios Athanasiou studied medicine at the Jagiellonski University of Krakow in Poland, where he graduated in 1997. He obtained his specialization in occupational medicine from the General Hospital of Nikaia Piraeus "Agios Panteleimon" in 2003. He holds a master's degree in Public Health from the National School of Public Health of Athens and a doctorate degree in Public Health from the European University of Cyprus on the topic "Organic Solvents, Noise and Acoustic Operation in the Furniture Manufacturing and Painting Sector of the Manufacturing Industry in Cyprus".
Athanasios Athanasiou began his professional career as an occupational physician at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center in 2003. Afterwards, he was hired in the Public Sector by the Medical Services and Services of Public Health as a Medical Officer in the specialty of occupational medicine. Since the beginning of his employment, he is placed in full time employment to the Administration of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance and to the headquarters of the Department of Labor Inspection where he is performing the duties of a Consultant Occupational Physician based on the provisions of the legislation on safety and health at work. Today, Athanasios Athanasiou holds the position of First Medical Officer, Medical Services and Services of Public Health.
Dr. Linda Matisane
Leading Researcher, Riga Stradins University, Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Safety
Linda Matisane is an experienced occupational health and safety expert working in the EU context and for international development projects. She has a background in occupational medicine, and she holds a PhD. Currently, she is the focal point manager for the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work in Latvia; she is involved in research on diverse aspects of occupational health and safety. Linda absolutely loves occupational health and safety and personally believes that health and safety is an attitude.
Dr. Christos Dimopoulos
Associate Professor of Computer Science, European University Cyprus, Director of Science in Civil Protection
Christos Dimopoulos is received his BSc degree in Automation from the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Piraeus. He received both his MSc and PhD degrees in Control Engineering from the University of Sheffield. He is a multidisciplinary researcher and practitioner with a strong background in Systems Engineering. His research accomplishments include a considerable number of refereed articles and book chapters. In 2002 he received the ‘Outstanding Paper of the Year Award’ by the Neural Networks Council of IEEE. He is currently participating (and has participated in the past) as project coordinator, principal investigator and research collaborator in numerous European and Cypriot-level research projects. He has also served as the Scientific Coordinator and Head Evaluator in multiple Civil Protection Full-Scale Exercises funded by the European Union (DG-ECHO). He is the recipient of a Honorary Award by the Cyprus Environmental Commissioner for providing services to the Republic of Cyprus towards achieving its Environmental Targets.
CyOSH 2025 Conference
Moderator
Dr. Olga Nicolaidou
Occupational Safety and Health Researcher
Olga Nicolaidou holds a PhD in Occupational Safety & Health (OSH), a BEng in Civil Engineering, an MSc in Water and Environmental Engineering and an MBA. Since 2007, is a Labour Inspection Officer at the Department of Labour Inspection in Cyprus and since 2019 is a Focal Point Manager of EU-OSHA. Olga is also a Lecturer at the MSc Program on OSH and a Research Associate at CERIDES of the European University Cyprus. Her research interests focus on the impact of weak signals management on OSH and her research has been published in peer reviewed journals. She counts many participations in well-established international OSH conferences, as moderator, speaker and/or member of the organizing committee.