Ms Gelina Harlaftis, Professor of Maritime History in the Department of History of the Ionian University and Affiliated Researcher with the Institute for Mediterranean Studies of FORTH, was elected Director of the Institute on February 10, 2017. Her official appointment is expected in the next few weeks.

Short Bio

Gelina Harlaftis is Professor of Maritime History in the Department of History of the Ionian University and Affiliated Researcher with the Institute of Mediterranean Studies of FORTH. She has graduated from the University of Athens and has completed her graduate studies in the Universities of Cambridge (M.Phil.) and Oxford (D.Phil.). She started her career as a lecturer in Piraeus University (1990-2003) and continued since 2003 in the Ionian University. She was Chair of the Department of History of the Ionian University (2004-2008) and President of the International Maritime Economic History Αssociation (2004-2008). Since 2014 she is the Director of the Graduate Programme "History and Documentation" of the Ionian University. In 2009 she was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University, and in 2008 an Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., International Visiting Scholar in the Business History Program, Harvard Business School. She has also served as a visiting Professor in Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada (1998) and as an Honorary Research Fellow in Institute of Maritime Studies, Greenwich University, London (1999).

Her research interests are in maritime history, economic and social history, business history, global history and diaspora history. She has published 25 books in English, Canadian and Greek publishing houses and more than 50 articles in edited volumes and international peer-reviewed journals. Her last books are World’s Key Industry with Jesus Valdaliso and Stig Tenold (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2012), Greek Shipping History, 1700-1821 with Katerina Papakonstantinou (Kedros, Athens, 2013, in Greek) and Greeks in the Azov, 18th-beginning of 20th century. New approaches in the history of the Greeks in South Russia with Evrydiki Sifneos, (National Research Foundation, Athens 2015, in Greek).

She has extensive experience in the coordination and implementation of large research projects and has established a large international research network with scholars from all continents. The last research project she co-ordinated, “The Black Sea and its port-cities, 1774-1914. Development, convergence and linkages with the global economy” within the operational programme "Thalis" (2012-2015) consisted of a team of 91 scholars from 30 countries. She has organized many international conferences in Greece and abroad, participates in numerous international organizing committees of conferences and journal editorial boards. She is member of the International Maritime History Association, European Business History Association and the Greek Economic History Association.