Michel Vedrenne Gutiérrez
Michel Vedrenne Gutiérrez is a Chemical Engineer with a PhD in Environmental Modelling from the Technical University of Madrid. At the beginning of his career, he focused on the treatment of wastewaters through advanced oxidation processes, and later moved to the field of air quality management and modelling. For seven years in Spain and the UK, he advised local and national authorities about low emission strategies. Since 2019 he works for the European Commission, first as the programme manager in charge of environment, telecommunications, and community development. Since 2023 he heads the infrastructure section of the Cyprus Settlement Support Unit.

Dr. Shaojuan Xu
Dr. Shaojuan Xu is a senior researcher at the Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development in Dortmund, Germany, and a lecturer in Geography at Humboldt University of Berlin. Her work centers on data-driven approaches to urban sustainability and resilience, spanning projects on land recycling, urban land consumption, affordable housing, urban health, 3D city modeling, and digital twins. Currently, she leads CATCH4D, an ICLEI-funded project developing a 3D thermographic model to assess citywide building energy efficiency, energy loss, and energy poverty.

Anthi Charalambous
Anthi Charalambous, a Chemical Engineer with an MSc in Environmental Engineering and an MBA, has 25 years of experience in energy and environmental sectors, including climate change, circular economy, and renewables. She has held leadership roles at the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB), the Cyprus Energy Agency, and as Energy Attaché of Cyprus in Brussels.

Anthi has organized numerous capacity-building workshops, is a certified trainer in energy and environmental topics, and serves on ISO and CEN/CENELEC committees. She is Chairwoman of the International Solar Energy Society (Cyprus) and Founder of the NGO Kykloikodromio, as well as Director of ideopsis ltd.

Kyriakos Parpounas
Our key expert, Kyriakos Parpounas, has extensive experience in waste management, circularity of resources and EPR and DRS systems internationally for various waste streams. He was the General Manager of three EPR organizations in Cyprus for 12 years (Green Dot, Afis, WEEE). He is also experienced in the development of CSR strategies and CSR reporting for organisations. He designs EPR and DRS systems for the industry in many countries and provides capacity building support to governments. Kyriakos has worked in projects for the EU, UNEP, EXPRA, CLI etc and he designs and manages European funded programmes and conducts educational programmes for sustainability, environmental protection, waste management etc.

Alper Yalçın
Alper Yalçın, 25, completed his undergraduate degree in Horticultural Production and Marketing at the European University of Lefke, where he also earned his master’s degree with a thesis on the impact of various substance types on toxicity levels and seed germination. Currently pursuing his Ph.D., he gained practical experience working in an agricultural store from 2022 to 2023. In May 2023, he joined Compostlap, only composting facility in the northern part of Cyprus, as a manager. Passionate about nature, he is also engaged in professional beekeeping and ornamental plant collection.

Nurettin Ruso
Nurettin Ruso is an experienced professional with a background in Automotive Engineering, further enhanced by his entrepreneurial leadership in the plastic recycling and manufacturing industries. As the Owner/Director of Polymer Traders – ASM Recycling LTD, he has successfully pioneered sustainable recycling initiatives in Northern Cyprus, establishing strong networks with local councils, NGOs, and international clients. Nurettin is now looking to expand into the UK and European markets with a unique recycled material sales business model he has developed. His leadership, communication, and business development skills have been instrumental in driving positive outcomes across various industries.

Demetris Hadjiiosif
Demetris Hadjiiosif is the Marketing and Public Relations Officer at Green Dot Cyprus, the island’s first nonprofit collective recycling system. Previously, he worked as a political journalist for six years at OMEGA Channel and held roles in various Cypriot media outlets, including radio and print. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Digital Communication and Mass Media from the University of Nicosia and studied at Northumbria University through the Erasmus program. During his studies, he contributed to university publications, volunteered with media organizations, and participated in European Parliament and NGO initiatives.

Sibel Paralik
Sibel Paralik is an environmental engineer with a master’s in international business, with 25 years of experience in projects on renewable energy, waste management, and environmental impact assessments. She has led environmental initiatives, fostering collaboration in civil society, and since 2022, has served as president of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Environmental Engineers. Sibel has consulted on EU, UNDP, and USAID-funded projects with expertise in project management, budgeting, and EU environmental standards. She is also a manager and shareholder at Kemal Paralik Metal İşleri Ltd., where she drives environmental feasibility studies and renewable energy strategies.

Bengü Mındıkoğlu Rızza
Bengü Rızza graduated in Environmental Engineering from Middle East Technical University in 2004 and earned a master’s in Social Environmental Sciences from Ankara University in 2007. She worked as an engineer at EPS Consulting, specializing in ISO 17025 System Management and air quality and noise reporting, and as a Technical and Logistics Support Specialist for the IRG SAVE project, focusing on water, waste, and environmental management. From 2007 to early 2024, she served as an investment advisor at the Cyprus Turkish Investment Development Agency, overseeing environmental and social assessments of projects. Since January 2024, she has been the Head of the Wastewater Division at the “environmental protection department”.

Doğuç Veysioğlu
Doğuç Veysioğlu is an Environmental Engineer with 20 years of experience. A graduate of Middle East Technical University in Ankara, he holds a master’s degree in industrial wastewater treatment from the University of Manchester. He has extensive experience in sewer system design in Cyprus and EU environmental management legislation. For the past 12 years, he has worked in the sewer systems unit at the Famagusta local community and previously served as president of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Environmental Engineers.

İme Akanyeti
İme Akanyeti earned her degree in Environmental Engineering from Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005, followed by a master’s in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University in 2007. She gained valuable research experience at Wetsus, the European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology in the Netherlands, before completing her Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in 2013. Since 2014, İme has been a lecturer in the Environmental Engineering Department at Cyprus International University (CIU) and was appointed president of the CIU Environmental Research Center in 2017. With numerous publications in reputable journals, she is currently managing the EU-funded project “2023/442-928 Impact of Terrestrial-used Pesticides in the Marine Environment” as part of the Cypriot Civil Society in Action VIII Grant.

Viktoras Konstantinidis
Viktoras Konstantinidis is a graduate of the Higher Technical Institute of Nicosia in the field of Mechanical Engineering and has a master’s degree in Biochemistry and Environmental Technology of the Cyprus University of Technology. He has a strong experience in wastewater treatment, operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants. He published several articles in cooperation with professors, among them the “Phosphorus dissolution from dewatered anaerobic sludge: Effect of pHs, microorganisms and sequential extraction”. He participated in many conferences and events in Cyprus and abroad related to wastewater treatment. He was the plant manager of the wastewater treatment plant in Moni Limassol from 1996 -2006, and until 2024 he was the Employer representative of the Sewerage Board of Limassol Amathus carrying out activities related to the operation and maintenance of the plant and making sure that the contractor complies with the obligations and exercises his duties under the contract.

Panayiota Hadjigeorgiou

Ignacio Gonzalez-Blanch
Ignacio works as Programme Manager at the EU Cyprus Settlement Support Office, implementing the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. Prior to work for the European Commission, Ignacio worked as Strategy and Operations professional for large corporations, start-ups and NGOs, implementing projects with social and environmental impact in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Ignacio is industrial engineer by Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, MSc in Environmental Engineering, and MBA by Columbia Business School.

Marina Neophytou
Prof. Dr. Marina Neophytou is a Full Professor in Environmental Engineering and the elected Dean of the Engineering School of the University of Cyprus. She holds a BA (Honours), MEng and PhD degrees – all from Cambridge University Engineering Department (from Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics Division) on full Cambridge University scholarships. She held visiting positions at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – ETH-Zurich (as Visiting Professor) as well as at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Los Alamos National Laboratory, U.S., as UNESCO Visiting Research Fellow. Together with her research group she is investigating how climate change and fluid dynamics impact citizens and society.

Natasa Ioannou
Natasa is a Project Manager at Friends of the Earth Cyprus since 2014, where she leads environmental projects, actions and initiatives. With academic backgrounds in Biology, Marine Environmental Management, and Environmental Politics, her career has been largely dedicated to advancing environmental causes through civil society organizations at both the national and European levels. Her experience includes roles with NGO Support Center, Friends of the Earth Europe, Coral Cay Conservation in London, the Office of the Environmental Commissioner in Cyprus, focusing on sustainable development and environmental action. Additionally, she is volunteering as the Assistant General Secretary of the Ecological Movement Cyprus. Her areas of expertise include environmental education, public awareness campaigns, community organizing, and advocacy for environmental justice.

Dr. Fulden Batıbeniz
Dr. Fulden Batibeniz is a climate scientist specializing in climate modelling, climate variability and change, and extreme events. She completed her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from Istanbul Technical University in 2020, following her undergraduate and master’s degrees in the same field. During her doctoral studies, she conducted research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA. Post-Ph.D., Dr. Batibeniz worked as a climate change expert for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Turkey. Currently, she is a senior postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern and ETH Zurich Institute in Switzerland, focusing on the processes that drive extreme climate events like droughts and heat waves, and their effects on human exposure in the context of climate change. Her expertise includes applying regional Earth system models to better understand the interactions between the atmosphere, land, and ocean systems at finer scales, particularly for extreme climate events.

Dr. Petros Mouzourides
Dr. Petros Mouzourides is a Senior Researcher at the UCy Laboratory – Isle of Excellence of Environmental Fluid Mechanics, where he has been a member since 2010. He holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cyprus and a Diploma in Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences from the National Technical University of Athens. His research focuses on the multi-scale nature atmospheric dynamics, urban microclimate, and air quality, with active involvement in European projects, international conferences, workshops, and teaching in fluid mechanics.

Dr. Kamil Ergüler
Dr. Kamil Erguler is a Research Scientist at the Climate & Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute (CyI). He was trained in molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, and systems biology at Middle East Technical University, University of California, Berkeley, and Imperial College London. At CyI, he works on developing climate-sensitive mathematical models of vector dynamics and vector-borne disease transmission.

İbrahim Alkan
İbrahim Alkan received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Dokuz Eylül University and his master’s degree in Environmental Sciences Programme of the same university. In the public sector, he held various positions at the “department of industry” and the “environmental protection department”. Between 2006-2023, he worked with the European Union and the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate on local environmental issues and assumed different responsibilities. Between 2008-2019, he served as a member of the bi-communal Environment Technical Committee. He was one of the founding members of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, served as the President of the Chamber between 2005-2010 and served in various organs of the Chamber in different periods. He is currently a member of the Audit Board of the CTBCA and has been working at the “department of industry” for the last year.

Gülcan Yalınca
Gülcan Yalınca is a civil engineer with almost 39 years’ experience. Yalınca received MBA and sustainable development trainings in addition to BSc in engineering. Her specialties include; Business Development Mentoring, Project proposal formulation/writing, Quality Assurance, Project / Contract / Procurement / Claim Management (PRAG and FIDIC), Health & Safety at Work Training & Management, Risk & Safety Management, Civil Engineering Design, Construction Site Management, Tender File Preparation, Quantity Surveying.

Pelin Maneoğlu
Pelin Maneoglu started her career in the energy and construction sector focusing on natural gas supply/demand analysis and natural gas pipeline and various power plant constructions. She has over 20 years of experience in project management, strategic leadership and peace-building, having worked with the European Commission, UNDP, SOS Children’s Villages, and in the private sector. Specializing in communication, outreach, and engagement, she has extensive expertise in strategy design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and donor coordination in environmental sustainability, energy/construction, and economic development. As a strategic partnership expert, Pelin Maneoglu excels in designing innovative approaches to communication, outreach, and visibility, fostering multi-stakeholder engagement and behaviour change for sustainable development.