Dr. Photiou’s research interests center on cognitive mechanisms, including spatial awareness, spatial updating, and navigational abilities in special populations, including dancers, individuals with physical disabilities (e.g., wheelchair users), and those with neurodegenerative diseases. To explore these areas, she uses advanced neuroimaging techniques like MRI, Virtual Reality, and other computerized methods.
SHORT BIO
Dr. Maria Ph. A. Photiou (F) is a Lecturer of Psychology at the University of Limassol in Cyprus, specializing in spatial cognition in healthy and clinical populations using virtual reality and neuroimaging techniques. She earned a BA in Education with a minor in Psychology and an MA in Learning in Natural Sciences from the Department of Education at the University of Cyprus. She also holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Cyprus, with her research on spatial cognition and experimental psychology funded by the Research and Innovation Foundation under the 2018 Excellence Hubs calls and the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation. Dr. Photiou has published a paper in the Journal of Environmental Education, a Q1 peer-reviewed journal, and has presented her work at 13 European and international conferences, contributing two papers to peer-reviewed conference proceedings. She previously served as a Research Associate at the Cognitive and Clinical Applications Multidisciplinary Research Group of the CYENS Centre of Excellence, Cyprus, and the Centre for Applied Neuroscience at the University of Cyprus. In addition to her research, Dr. Photiou has taught Educational Psychology and Cognitive Psychology courses in the undergraduate Psychology program at the University of Cyprus as a Special Scientist. She has received several prestigious awards, including the Ernst and Young Cyprus Honoring Women with Exceptional Leadership Skills award and the Fulbright Visiting Scholars Program Scholarship from the USA Embassy. Additionally, Dr. Photiou serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE
Dr. Photiou has actively participated in voluntary service supporting various institutions.
Dr. Photiou is the Program Director for the distance learning postgraduate degree in Educational Psychology and has developed all the study guides for the degree.
