Frederick University announces the new composition of its academic leadership following the election of four new Vice-Rectors for a four-year term, as determined through an election process held on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

• Professor Rita Panoura: Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance
• Professor Niki Eteokleous: Vice-Rector for Educational Strategy and Academic Development
• Professor Charis Charalambous: Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation
• Professor Andreas Poullikkas: Vice-Rector for Development, Internationalisation and Strategic Partnerships

In his message, the Rector of Frederick University, Professor George Demosthenous, congratulated the newly elected Vice-Rectors and stated: “I extend my warmest congratulations to our four distinguished colleagues and wish them every success in their new responsibilities. I look forward to close and productive cooperation towards achieving our common goals, guided by our University’s continuous progress. The new academic leadership is called upon to safeguard institutional excellence and the quality of education, lead pedagogical modernisation with Artificial Intelligence at its forefront, strengthen research and doctoral studies, and further expand our international presence and strategic partnerships. At the same time, given the rapid development of the Limassol Campus, with new Schools and facilities, one of the Vice-Rectors will assume academic responsibility for the Campus, ensuring its strategic development and academic coherence.”

The Rector also thanked those who participated in the election as candidates, as well as the outgoing Vice-Rectors, Professor Costas Kyriakou and Professor Michalis Komodromos, “for the significant, multifaceted and invaluable contribution they made to our University throughout their term of office,” as he characteristically noted.

In her own message, the President of the University Council, Ms Natassa Frederickou, stated: “I warmly congratulate the new Vice-Rectors and wish them every success in their new responsibilities. The election results also mark the first election of women Vice-Rectors in the history of Frederick University. I consider the presence of women in leadership positions, where institutional decisions are made, to be particularly important, as they contribute different experiences, perspectives and approaches, enriching dialogue and contributing to more comprehensive and effective decision-making.”

The New Vice-Rectors

Professor Rita Panoura is Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Education. She is Dean of the School of Education and Social Sciences and has previously served as Head of the Department of Education. She has been an elected member of the Senate since 2007, a member of the University Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, and a member of Senate committees. She is Co-Coordinator of the Department of Education’s PhD Programme.

Her main research interests focus on inquiry-based teaching approaches; the development of students’ self-regulation skills in mathematics learning and teachers’ self-regulation in mathematics teaching; metacognition; the evaluation of the implementation of innovative approaches in education in general and, more specifically, in mathematics teaching in engineering disciplines; as well as quality assurance in education.

Professor Niki Eteokleous teaches Educational Technology in the Department of Education. She is Chair of the Distance Learning Committee and coordinates the activities of the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching (CIET). Through these roles, she contributes to strategic planning, quality assurance and enhancement, the professional development of academic staff, and the development and implementation of innovative teaching and learning practices.

She is a co-founder of the Robotics Academy, recently renamed the Future Technology Lab, and Co-Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Education. Her teaching and research interests focus on the integration of new and emerging technologies and AI in education; technology-enhanced teaching and learning; distance and blended learning; digital pedagogies; the professional development of teachers and academics; educational robotics and programming; digital skills; and lifelong learning.

Professor Charis Charalambous is a member of the academic staff of the School of Engineering at Frederick University and teaches in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics. He heads the Frederick University Ionospheric and Space Weather Research Unit, through which he has participated in more than 30 research projects and developed collaborations with more than 50 universities, research centres, businesses and public organisations.

He has coordinated 20 research projects with a total budget exceeding €6 million. In 2025 alone, his Research Unit secured more than €2.5 million in funding for the implementation of six new research and innovation projects.

Professor Andreas Poullikkas is Professor of Energy Systems in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering. He has more than 25 years of experience in energy strategy and research, with a particular focus on the optimisation of sustainable energy systems.

He is included among the world’s top 2% of scientists and in the list of the world’s 100,000 top researchers published by Stanford University. He served for several years as Chairman of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) and as Chairman of the Cyprus Energy Strategy Council.

He has authored numerous scientific publications in leading international scientific journals and conference proceedings, as well as books on energy policy, renewable energy sources, energy storage and sustainable energy technologies. He also serves as editor and member of the editorial boards of international scientific journals.

He heads the University’s H2Zero Research Group, which focuses on the development of innovative solutions for the production and use of hydrogen and the promotion of zero-carbon technologies.