PK

Phoebe Koundouri

University of Cambridge, Athens University of Economics and Business, University of Leicester, Technical University of Denmark

ORCID iD 0000-0001-5979-6128
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About

Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri is a globally renowned mathematical economist who has pioneered human-centered, interdisciplinary modelling systems for the sustainable interaction between nature, society, and the economy. She brings nearly 30 years of academic leadership and research excellence at leading institutions, including the University of Cambridge, University College London (UCL), the London School of Economics (LSE), the University of Reading, and the Technical University of Denmark. She is consistently ranked among the top 2% of world scientists in multiple prestigious international listings, with an academic record that includes 20 books, more than 800 published papers, over 100 large-scale research projects, and measurable impact in more than 120 countries.

She is currently Professor at the School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB); Visiting Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge; and Senior Research Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge—her alma mater. She is the Founder of the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria (AE4RIA), a global research and innovation network bringing together more than 200 researchers. AE4RIA is anchored in ReSEES.AE4RIA at AUEB and SDU.AE4RIA at the ATHENA Information Technology Research Center, both research centers directed by Professor Koundouri.

In 2025, she was invited by the UN Secretary-General to co-chair the 2027 United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals Report. She serves on the Nominating Committee for the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and is an elected Fellow of several distinguished academies, including 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 is also a Fellow of leading scientific associations, including the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) and the European Forest Institute. Her scientific distinctions include the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant; the Academy of Athens Award for Excellence in Science—awarded only once every four years; and the Award of Excellence of the Republic of Cyprus, conferred by the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of the Republic of Cyprus.

Professor Koundouri serves as Chair of the World Council of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists Associations and is former President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. She is Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub and Co-Chair of SDSN Europe. She advises numerous multilateral institutions and national governments worldwide. She is a member of the European Investment Bank Climate Leaders Network, a co-author of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, and a contributor to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences project “Financing for Development in the Jubilee Year 2025.” She also serves as an Ambassador for the European Research Council (ERC) and was named World Ambassador of Happiness and Peace in 2022, a distinction conferred by the Government of India at the House of Lords in London.

Personal Website: https://phoebekoundouri.org/

Employment

  • University of Cambridge Research Associate
    2026 - Present
  • University of Cambridge Visiting Professor
    2025 - Present
  • Technical University of Denmark Professor
    2022 - 2025
  • Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Visiting Professor
    2016 - 2016
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Visiting Professor
    2016 - 2016
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Visiting Senior Research Fellow
    2013 - 2016
  • Open University of Cyprus Adjunct Professor (Course Convenor: Mathematics for Economists)
    2011 - 2022
  • The Cyprus Institute Visiting Professor, Energy, Environment and Water Research Center
    2010 - 2011
  • University of Toulouse Visiting Researcher, INRA
    2005 - 2005
  • Athens University of Economics and Business Visiting Assistant Professor, IEES
    2005 - 2005
  • Athens University of Economics and Business Professor
    2005 - Present
  • Agrifood Research Finland Visiting Researcher
    2004 - 2004
  • University of Toulouse Visiting Assistant Professor, INRA
    2004 - 2004
  • University of Reading Research Fellow, Aquatic Environments Research Centre
    2003 - 2010
  • University of Reading Research Fellow, Centre for Institutional Performance
    2003 - 2010
  • University of Toulouse Visiting Researcher, INRA
    2003 - 2003
  • University of Toulouse Visiting Researcher, INRA
    2003 - 2003
  • Athens University of Economics and Business Visiting Lecturer (Course: Microeconomic Issues of European Policies)
    2002 - 2002
  • University of Toulouse Visiting Researcher, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)
    2001 - 2001
  • University of Reading Research Fellow, Centre for Urban and Regional Econometrics
    2000 - 2010
  • University College, London Senior Research Fellow (Coordinator of the Research Group on Water Resources Management and Co-organiser of the Seminar Series on ‘Environmental and Resource Economics’),
    2000 - 2005
  • University College, London Senior Research Fellow
    2000 - 2005
  • University of Reading Lecturer (A and B with tenured) in Economics
    2000 - 2005
  • University of Reading Research Fellow, Centre for Research in the Environment, Growth and Development
    2000 - 2010
  • University of Reading Research Fellow, Centre for Euro-Asia Studies
    2000 - 2010
  • University College London Affiliated Lecturer in Economics
    1999 - 2000
  • University of Cyprus Research Associate
    1996 - 1999
  • University of Cambridge Research Assistant
    1996 - 1997
  • Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK Statistics Supervisor
    1995 - 1996

Education

  • University of Cambridge MSc in Economics (Ph.D. Course Work)
    1995 - 1996
  • University of Cambridge MPhil Economics (Distinction)
    1994 - 1995
  • University of Leicester BA Economics (1st Class Honors) – Ronald L. Meeks Prize
    1991 - 1994

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (739)