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We are delighted to announce that Professor Phoebe Koundouri has been honoured with the Award of Excellence of the Republic of Cyprus, conferred by the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Award of Excellence of the Republic of Cyprus is bestowed upon distinguished and leading personalities in the sciences, letters, and arts, who have made significant and internationally recognized contributions in their respective fields. The Award acknowledges individuals connected to Cyprus who have played a decisive role in advancing the sciences, letters, or arts, either in Cyprus or abroad.

The decision was taken during the 66th Plenary Session of the Academy, held on 17 September 2025, following the recommendation of the Class of Ethical, Economic and Political Sciences.

Read the full announcement of the Academy here

Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri is an economist, internationally recognized as a pioneer in developing innovative, human-centered, interdisciplinary, mathematical systems that enable sustainable interaction between nature, society, and the economy. She holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge, University College London (UCL), London School of Economics (LSE), University of Reading (UK), and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). She is currently a Professor at the School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, a Visiting Professor at the Department of Geosciences, University of Cambridge, and a Senior Research Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge — her alma mater.

She is listed in several international rankings, such as the Stanford University list, among the top 1–2% of scientists globally, with 19 books, 650 published papers, and 100 research projects impacting 120 countries. She is a member of the Nominating Committee for the Nobel Prize in Economics and a Fellow of multiple prestigious international academies, including the Academia Europaea, the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) — where she also serves as Trustee — the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World, and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). She has been appointed co-lead in the Lancet COVID-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences – Financing for Development. In 2025, she was invited by the United Nations Secretary-General to co-chair the 2027 UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) — the flagship UN publication issued every four years, assessing global progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Among her distinguished scientific honors are the European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant and the Academy of Athens Award in the Natural Sciences, bestowed only once every four years. She has been appointed Ambassador for the European Research Council, EU Climate Pact Ambassador, and Member of the EIB Climate Leaders Network. She contributes to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body for assessing the science of climate change, and in 2022, she was named World Ambassador of Happiness and Peace by the Government of India in a ceremony at the House of Lords, London. She is also a Fellow of leading scientific organizations such as the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) and the European Forest Institute.

Since 2019, she has served as President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), President of the World Council of Environmental Resource Economists Associations, Chief Scientific Advisor of the UN SDSN Global Climate Hub (representing 2,000 universities), and Chair of SDSN Europe (representing 900 universities). She is the founder and president of the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria (AE4RIA) — an international network of excellence that includes more than 200 researchers and connects research institutions, innovation accelerators, science-policy networks, scientific associations, and academies, all focused on advancing sustainable development.

She serves as Editor for several top international scientific journals — including journals under the NATURE portfolio and leading economics journals — and has organized numerous international conferences, supervised over 50 PhD theses, and been a keynote speaker at major international fora across the globe. She advises leading international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), G20, World Bank, European Commission, European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as national governments worldwide.

Her interdisciplinary approach and dedication to addressing the complex global challenges of sustainable development, through the integration of cutting-edge research, active policy engagement, and emphasis on social cohesion, have contributed to socioeconomic transformation across continents.