Landslide Science

Dr. Christos Polykretis is a Geographer (BSc) holding a Master (MSc) in "Management and Analysis of Geographic Information (Geoinformatics)" and a PhD in Geoinformatics for Natural Hazard (Landslides) Assessment. His research interests focus on the application of Geospatial technologies (Geographic Information Systems – GIS, Remote Sensing, etc.) for studying and understanding natural hazard-related and other environmental issues. His specialization is mainly located in the areas of geospatial and/or satellite imagery data processing and analysis, as well as the implementation of different modeling approaches (e.g., data-driven, expert-based, integrated/hybrid), for assessing natural hazards such as landslides, soil erosion, etc. He has provided supportive teaching on relevant undergraduate and postgraduate university courses, and has also lectured on various training and lifelong learning programs. His research work includes a number of over 40 publications in both national and international scientific journals and conference proceedings, as well as participations (as external collaborator, postdoctoral researcher, research associate, and project manager) in over 15 research projects. Furthermore, his professional experience includes jobs as geospatial data analyst and R&D manager in public and private sectors.

Dr. Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos is a Survey Engineer (Ph.D., MSc, and BSc), and an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, University of West Attica, Greece. His research interests are focused on GIS, SDI, spatial analysis, spatial epidemiology, natural disaster modeling, geoarchaeology, digital cartography, and geography. He is also a lecturer at the Greek National Centre for Public Administration & Local Government, a certified evaluator of the Greek General Secretariat in Research and Technology and an Expert in Earth Sciences in the use of GIS and Remote Sensing applications for the Institute of Educational Policy, of the Greek Ministry of Education. He boasts a publication record of over 100 articles in scientific journals and international conferences, which have garnered numerous references. His involvement extends to over 15 national and international research programs. Additionally, he serves as a reviewer for more than 25 esteemed scientific journals.

Professor Maria Ferentinou is a Senior Lecturer in Geotechnics, and I has an extensive career in academia and industry. She is a Chartered Geologist and a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, along with being an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Before joining LJMU, she held prominent academic roles in South Africa, including the role of Associate Professor and Head of Department at the University of Johannesburg. Her previous experience also includes serving as a Lecturer in Rock Engineering at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Her research extends to the realm of landslides geohazard monitoring, rock engineering systems. Extensive work has also been devoted to the use of artificial neural networks to address geotechnical engineering problems. Her research is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Academy. During her tenure at the University of Johannesburg, she secured funding from the National Research Foundation and the Water Research Commission to conduct research on ground monitoring in response to sinkhole development, using a comprehensive approach that combines InSAR and fiber optic sensors. She is an editorial board member for the Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, as well as the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, and the Journal of Machine Learning and Data Science in Geotechnics. Moreover, she was the SA representative on the ISSMGE Technical Committee TC107 for tropical soils. She is a member of TC306, on geoengineering education, a member of Commission C37 on Landslides Nomenclature of the IAEG (leading the Greek group) and was honored as a rated researcher by the National Research Foundation in South Africa. She regularly reviews research proposals and publications for UK and international research councils, including EPSRC, UKRI, NRF, WRC, and over 20 international journals.