Karasani, Maria

Maria Karasani is a PhD Fellow at UNU-CRIS within the Nature, Climate and Health cluster. During her fellowship at UNU-CRIS, Maria will work under the supervision of Nidhi Nagabhatla, primarily focusing on strengthening the science, capacity, and policy aspects of transboundary water governance, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, experts, and agencies to ensure sustainable and equitable management of shared water resources. She will conduct research on existing transboundary water agreements and governance frameworks, focusing on river basins in the EU and beyond. By identifying gaps in current knowledge, she aims to highlight areas for further investigation. Additionally, she will draw on best practices from successful transboundary governance models worldwide to guide effective water management.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Marine studies (University of the Aegean, Greece) and a Master’s degree in Hydrology and Water Resources Science, in the field of Water Diplomacy (Hellenic International University, Greece). Currently, she is a PhD Candidate in the field of Water Cooperation and Conflict at Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.

She brings an experience as a research assistant in the Civil Engineering Department at Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). Maria has focused on water governance in transboundary river basins. Her work, including key publications on governance priorities and bridging the science-policy gap, highlights the critical role of transboundary cooperation in sustainable water management. With additional experience as an environmental consultant, she has a strong background in addressing complex environmental challenges in transboundary contexts, promoting balanced and effective resource management across national boundaries.