Maria Hadjimichael is an interdisciplinary scientist in the field of marine and coastal governance with extensive academic and research experience. She has received her PhD in 2011 titled ‘The Human Dimension of the European Fisheries Governance: the North/South Divide’ from Bangor University, Wales and over the past 10 years, she has worked on a broad range of subjects as a postdoctoral researcher and a research fellow at five different posts: the Innovative Fisheries Management Institute of Aalborg University in Denmark (now known as the Centre for Blue Governance), the Cyprus Institute, and at the University of Cyprus (at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Architecture). Maria has been involved in a number of interdisciplinary FP7 and Horizon projects often leading the social science and governance component whilst she also has extensive experience in engaging with policy-makers. Between 2016-2021 she was the vice-chair of the European funded COST Action OceanGov (Ocean Governance for Sustainability – Challenges, Options and the Role of Science). Over the 14 years Maria has been engaged in research, she has conducted research in a number of countries in Europe, as well as in the U.S.A. and Chile.
Maria has a strong publication record in the top journals in her field such as Marine Policy, Ocean and Coastal Management and Fisheries Research, as well as in ones with a broader focus such as Ecological Economics, Political Geography, Island Studies and Sustainability Science. Her work on blue degrowth has become key reading in discussions around the blue economy and the importance of ensuring we understand the limits to growth that exist at sea.
She is currently a Senior Associate Scientist at CMMI, working primarily as the Academic Lead in the Cypriot case study of the EmpowerUs project.