Themis Dimitra Xanthopoulou

Motivantion

I entered academia in search of environmental solutions (Project "Production of green Nanozerovalent Iron using Plant extracts and Fruit Juices"). My quest lead me to investigate coupled environmental human systems (Project "Socio-hydraulic analysis of a past Omani irrigation system" and "Understanding Ancient Water Systems using Agent-Based Modeling"). The significance of social factors in ecological issues motivated me to understand social systems better (Computer Tools for Modeling Religious and Social Conflict). Computer modelling and agent-based methods, in particular, is a grounded approach for my work though I do miss sometimes working in a laboratory. 

Current work

In our current project, we research modelling social interactions with an interest in bullying dynamics. Our work demands interdisciplinary collaboration. To tackle communication issues, we have assigned part of the project in building a tool. The collaborators in the project write in simple English their understanding of the social situation, and the tool transforms it into a social model. 

About Interdisciplinary work

Connecting different disciplines is fascinating and essential. My experience has taught me that what we seek in one scientific field might have already be answered in another! Building bridges in science takes time, and it is our responsibility to start the work. #unitedscience