About us

Dr. Sotiria Stefanidou is Research Associate at Civil Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) and the Institute of Engineering Seismology & Earthquake Engineering, in the field of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. She is an experienced and active researcher for more than 10 years, having participated in 11 national and EU Funded research programs. She has received several research scholarships (State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), Early Career Researchers) and has been working as Postdoctoral Researcher at AUTh since 2016. She is University Fellow at the International Hellenic University, has worked as University Fellow at the University of Thessaly, and as Affiliate Scientific Staff at AUTh. She received her PhD with Distinction in 2016 in fragility analysis of reinforced concrete bridges (AUTh), her Postdoc from the Civil Engineering Department, AUTh (2021) and holds two MSc degrees in Earthquake Engineering (2007) and Natural disasters & climate change (Short course, 2019). She has more than 50 publications in international referred journals, conferences and books with more than 200 citations and has worked on fragility analysis of roadway and railway bridges for single and multiple hazards, machine learning techniques in fragility analysis and software development, performance based design, bridge retrofit (RC,FRP jackets and seismic isolation), multiobjective optimization of retrofit measure selection, etc. Dr. Stefanidou works as Freelancer chartered civil engineer (Greek Institution of Civil Engineers, Greece) since 2006 and was member of the Structural Engineering/Consultancy firm Penelis Consulting Engineers SA from 2012 to 2019. She has worked as structural engineer in projects in Greece and worldwide for AKTOR SA, TERNA, TERNA Oversees, REDEX, etc. She is co-founder and partner of a start-up structural engineering company in Greece. She is a Board Member of Hellenic Society of Earthquake Engineering (ETAM) and General Secretary of Scientific Community of Concrete Research (EPES), since 2019 and member of IABSE Task Groups 1.8 and 5.2 since 2020.

Olga Markogiannaki is a Civil Engineer from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds an MSc in Structural Engineering from Columbia University and a PhD related to the enhancement of the seismic safety of structures. Her field of expertise lies in the seismic assessment of structures, structural health monitoring and damage detection and in the effect of climate change to infrastructure. In the last years her activities also expand in the use of composite materials in structures. She has many years (> 12) of professional experience in the field of structural design and retrofit, engineering consulting services, organization and management of public and private construction projects and management of research projects, while she has also worked as an Executive Consultant to the Authority for the Examination of Preliminary Appeals (AEPP). She has significant research activity (over 50 publications in international journals and conferences) and has established collaborations in research projects with distinguished Academic and Research Institutions. She has also > 5 years of academic teaching experience. In addition, she is Vice President of the Association of Civil Engineers of Greece and Deputy Member of the Board of the Hellenic Scientific Society for Concrete Research, while she has also served as Vice President of a construction company for 6 years. She is a member in numerous committees of the Technical Chamber of Greece on Earthquake and Civil Protection and in an International Working Group (IABSE T.G.6.1) on the impact of climate change on infrastructure.