Dr Aimilia Smyrli is the Head of Education at the National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) “Demokritos”. She designs and delivers activities for school students of all ages (from primary to high school) that are mainly focused on enhancing their problem solving skills, introducing them to the world of scientific research and  mainly inspiring them to study STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) related subjects at university. Her work also focuses on Science Communication and sharing with the public, the up-to-date research that is happening at NCSR “Demokritos”.

Dr Smyrli has a Phd in Solar Physics and has worked as a lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) in UK, where she was nominated 3 times for the Lecturer of the Year Award by the students’ union. She has also worked both with the Isaac Physics team of Cambridge University and The Ogden Trust for several years in outreach and public engagement, as an Outreach Officer. Her role involved delivering activities mainly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, training Undergraduate and Postgraduate students into science communication and supporting teachers by offering CPDs (Continuous Training Development) so that the teachers would become more confident and engaging in the classroom.