Michael Frederickou
Awards

Honouring the founder
of our University

After the passing of Frederick University’s Founder, Michael Frederickou, the University Council decided, as one of the measures taken in his memory, to establish the Michael Frederickou Awards.

The awards aim to highlight actions that promote the core values of the Founder and the University, as expressed in its mission pillars. They aim to reward excellence in teaching, research and contribution to society. 

  • The Michael Frederickou Teaching Excellence Awards

To Dr. Manos Pavlakis, Coordinator of the MA in Educational Administration and Leadership

Dr. Pavlakis' courses encourage independent, critical, and original thinking and teamwork, where students are invited to question and analyze different perspectives and develop their own ideas in an inclusive learning environment.

  • The Michael Frederickou Excellence Awards in Research & Innovation

To Dr. Paris Fokaides, Associate Professor of the Engineering School and lead researcher of the Sustainable Energy Research Group.

Dr. Fokaides was awarded in the "Overall Impactful Research Activity" category, for his significant international research work in the field of energy and building energy efficiency.

To Dr. Marios Lestas, Associate Professor of the Engineering School and lead researcher of the INTRA lab - Intelligent Networks and Transportation Systems Laboratory, and Dr. Christina Economou, a key member of the CyIRG research group, a reference group in Cyprus and the wider region for the study of space weather. The two researchers stood out in the category "Significant improvement in research activity”, in terms of academic publications and/or attracting international collaborations and funding, as in the previous year, they showed significant increases in the key indicators of research output monitored by the University.

To the Mobile Devices Laboratory (MDL), which received the award in the category "Entrepreneurial Initiatives" for the significant activities of its members in promoting innovation, transferring know-how, and collaborating with the business sector. The award was received by the Director of the Mobile Devices Laboratory, Dr. Andreas Constantinides, Researcher and Associate Professor at the Engineering School of the University.

  • Sustainable Development Goals Awards

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are fully aligned with the core values of Frederick University and have been integrated into its mission. As a testament to the importance the University places on achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, four related awards were presented to:

Dr. Nicolas-Georgios Eliadis, a member of the research team of the University's Nature Conservation Unit, who, through the implementation of significant basic and applied research programs, has made decisive contributions to understanding and protecting ecological processes in natural ecosystems. Dr. Eliadis was the Project Manager of the internationally awarded LIFE-KEDROS project, under which management and resilience enhancement measures were designed and implemented for the habitat of the Cyprus Cedar.

Dr. Anna Louise Merry, Assistant Professor in the Department of Arts and Communication and lead researcher of the Spatial Design and Artefact Research Unit who, through research, design, and educational initiatives, focuses on sustainable and inclusive design. Additionally, through her work, she promotes innovative approaches such as integrating the New European Bauhaus into art and design education, giving her students the opportunity to engage in ongoing projects related to the principles of sustainable design.

Dr. Chrysanthi Kadji-Beltran, Associate Professor and President of the Department of Education Sciences, and Ms. Victoria Leonidou, a member of the teaching staff of the Department of Arts and Communication, for applying pedagogical approaches in their courses that promote and enhance sustainability skills in their students. During the academic year 2023-24, they collaborated with the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research to develop and design a series of educational board games about the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus.

Mr. George Koutsikas, a student in the Business Administration Program, for promoting sustainability, actively working to improve the quality of life in his community, and empowering young people. Mr. Koutsikas participated with a scholarship in Princeton University's Law and Public Administration research program, and his team secured funding from the European Culture Foundation to implement their proposal to encourage youth participation in public affairs. Additionally, this year he was recognized by the Global Peace organization as a future Leader and received a full scholarship to participate in the Leadership program at Cambridge University.

  • The Michael Frederickou Award for an Outstanding Student or Graduate

George Xekalakis, a doctoral student in the Civil Engineering program supervised by Dr. Petros Christou. His research focuses on evaluating risks in buildings from natural disasters. In his dissertation submitted in May, he developed a tool for assessing the seismic risk of buildings in Cyprus and abroad, which is ready to be utilized by relevant authorities.

  • The Michael Frederickou Best Thesis Award

The awards were given to the best postgraduate or doctoral thesis in the University's five Schools:

School of Education and Social Sciences: Kyriaki Erotokritou, Doctoral Program in Social Work, Social Policy and Administration
Engineering School: George Xekalakis, Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering
School of Health Sciences: Maria Panagi, Doctoral Program in Health Sciences
School of Arts, Communication & Cultural Studies: Marios Paschalidis, Master's Program in Visual Arts
School of Business & Law: Victoria Heinzel, Doctoral Program in Management

The MF Excellence in Teaching Award

To Dr Anthi Xenophontos, Assistant Professor at the Department of Education, Physical Education and Sports Science program of study. Dr. Xenophontos' methodology is based on student-centred teaching combining participatory, collaborative, experiential and self-regulated learning, building students' confidence to enable them to perform to their full potential.

The Michael Frederickou Excellence Awards in Research

To Professor Symeon Nicolaou for his overall impactful research activity in terms of academic publications, impact factor and attraction of international collaborations & funding. Last year he stood out with his participation in 19 scientific publications. In addition, his scientific work enjoys significant international recognition as he has been peer-reviewed by other researchers in 2022 in 296 cases according to Scopus. At the same time, Prof. Nikolaou has secured high levels of research project funding over the past year, with the total new funding for the group he leads, "Antennas & Microwaves Research Group", amounting to half a million euros.

To Dr Maria Pantelidou, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr Alexander Argyriadis, Head of the Department of Nursing for the significant improvement in research activity. Dr Pantelidou secured funding last year in the highly competitive Research and Innovation Foundation's Islands of Excellence programme. Her research focuses on the study of  pharmaceutical properties of compounds, drug delivery and human disease genetics. Dr. Argyriadis has seen a significant increase in the number of citations of his work. His research focuses on Public and Community Health with an emphasis on mental health and cross-cultural health related issues.

Sustainable Development Goals Awards

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are fully aligned with Frederick University's core values and are embedded in its mission. Indicative of the importance the University places on the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, are the four related awards presented:

- To Frederick University Living Lab (FULL), a pedagogical approach that combines participatory and experiential learning through projects implemented on the basis of collaboration and connection with the community and businesses. Students come into contact with real working conditions and use their knowledge and skills to provide solutions to real problems. Many of FULL's projects are linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The award was received by the members of the ad hoc committee that worked on developing the FULL framework and pedagogical materials: Associate Professor Chrysanthi Katzi, Department of Education, Professor Costas Mantzalos, Department of Arts and Communication, Associate Professor Byron Ioannou, Department of Architecture, Associate Professor Andreas Konstantinidis - Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics, Assistant Professor Alexandros Argyriadis, Department of Nursing and Lecturer Nasia Tziortzi, Department of Business Administration.

- To the longterm campaign 'To all women and girls. Join the Journey in Engineering and Technology". As part of the campaign, activities such as STEM Day for girls aged 9-12 and STEM Camp for girls aged 13-16 take place and the University offers 50% scholarships to girls who choose to study on undergraduate Programs in the University's School of Engineering. The award was received by the Coordinator of STEM Day and STEM Camp activities, Ms. Irini Agastinioti.

- To Aristos Dimosthenous, a graduate of the Diploma in Architecture - Integrated Master, who was awarded for his thesis entitled "Conversion of Industrial Buildings into Student Residences". In this project, the graduate adopts sustainability practices to achieve the protection of Cyprus' architectural heritage and minimize the waste of building materials and energy.

- To Panayiota Koutsofta, a graduate of the University's Postgraduate Program in Education for the Environment and Sustainable Development, and Director of the "Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free" Project, which promotes new ways to reduce and reuse waste, which create jobs and promote the circular economy in Cyprus. More than 500 thousand residents and visitors in Cyprus have been positively impacted by the project and two "Plastic Free Beaches" have been created. At the same time, Ms Koutsofta is an external collaborator of the Pedagogical Institute and implements Environmental Education Programmes for parents and children.

The Michael Frederickou Award for an Outstanding Student or Graduate

An award celebrating an outstanding achievement of a student or graduate with emphasis on its impact on the community.

- To Phoebe-Zoe Georgalis, a PhD student of the Mechanical Engineering program supervised by Dr. Paris Fokaidis and a member of the Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG) of the University where she is actively involved in research projects focused on the evaluation of the sustainability of the built environment. Her research has been published in 11 peer-reviewed journals and book chapters listed in Scopus and has led to the development of advanced tools for digitizing the sustainability assessment of buildings.

- To Robert Ponsian, a PhD student in the Civil Engineering PhD Program, supervised by Dr. Dimitris Nicolaides. Robert is in the final stage of his PhD thesis, which involves the use of construction waste to develop innovative fireproofing and thermal insulation materials using the innovative geopolymerisation technology. This technology has a significantly lower environmental footprint compared to existing technologies for developing new materials, and the advantage of being able to utilise waste. Robert has been instrumental in the implementation of two research projects with budgets in excess of one million, and his research work to date has resulted in 7 major publications and is expected to produce 5 more in the coming months.

The Michael Frederickou Best Thesis Award

- School of Engineering: Athanasios-Rafael Pritsas, Postgraduate Program in Conservation and Restoration of Historical Structures and Monuments 
- School of Education and Social Sciences: Emilia Stavrou, PhD in Education
- School of Law and Business Administration: Ermis Ioannides, Postgraduate Program in Marine Engineering and Management
- School of Health Sciences: Athena Papageorgiou, PhD in Health Sciences

The Michael Frederickou Teaching Excellence Award

Winner:

  • Dr Panagiotis Theodosis Nobelos, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy

The students of the bachelor in Pharmacy, who nominated Dr Nobelos for this award made remarkable comments about him: "He was an excellent role model both in terms of his knowledge and his ethics, dignity, kindness and interest towards us. He has the ability to distinguish the potential of each student and encourage them, believe in them and generously provide them help and motivation, even if he was not asked".

The Michael Frederickou Research Excellence Awards 

Winners:

  • Dr Haris Charalambous, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
  • Dr Dimitris Nikolaides, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
  • The Research Unit for Historical Constructional Systems: the unit consists of Professor Panagiotis Touliatos, Associate Professor Nasso Chrysochou, Associate Professor Marios Pelekanos and Assistant Professor Nikos Georgiou, faculty members of the Department of Architecture. The Unit has become a point of reference in the field of analysis and evaluation of historical monuments in Cyprus and enjoys international aclaim.
The Michael Frederickou Outstanding Student or Graduate Awards

Winners:

  • Marios Pafitis, student of the Master's Program in Intelligent Systems and Internet Systems. Marios Pafitis combines the subject of his studies and his social responsibility to promote actions and research in issues related to health and IT, such as the detection of Alzheimer's in MRI images, in environmental issues, as well as in other social issues.
  • Konstantinos Christou, student of the Bachelor's Program in Physical Education and Sports Science. Konstantinos Christou has been working with the wheelchair basketball team 'Hefaistos' for the last two years with the aim of promoting the Paralympics, the socialization of people with disabilities through sports, but also the promotion and empowerment of people with disabilities so that they can continue to be source of inspiration. He has also contributed to the creation of the Non-Profit Center for Education and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities 'YPARCHO'.
The Sustainable Development Goals Actions Awards

The 2021-22 Awards were presented in memory of the late Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Zeta Emilianidou, for her commitment to the promotion of social justice, for her social sensitivity, and for her deep love and concern for the welfare of her fellow citizens. 

Winners:

  • The Blue Limassol project, in which members of the Department of Shipping and Commerce and the Department of Architecture and Engineering of Frederick University participated. The project included conducting, on behalf of the Municipality of Limassol, the first comprehensive Environmental Study that identifies and evaluates, overall and combined, the environmental risks in the coastal area of ​​Limassol. The award was received on behalf of the team by the Assistant Professor and President of the Department of Shipping and Commerce, Dr. Angelos Menelaou.
  • The CARE project "Visual arts education in new times: Connecting Art with REal life issues", which aimed to strengthen the visual arts in the field of education by integrating elements of sustainable development. The award was received by the Lead Researcher and Coordinator of the project CARE, Dr Victoria Pavlou, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Sciences.
  • The Forest School, the first of its kind in Cyprus, which promotes the multifaceted development of the child through experiential learning in nature and freedom. The award was accepted on behalf of the team by the head of the program, Dr. Nikoletta Christodoulou, Associate Professor at the University's Department of Educational Sciences.
  • The Nature Conservation Unit, the University's longest-running research unit, and the largest nature conservation research body in Cyprus, with funding of over one million in recent years and substantial contribution to the development of environmental protection policies. The LIFE-KEDROS project, in which the Unit participated, was recently awarded as one of the three best in Europe - an important distinction for Cyprus and its forests. The award was received by the head of the unit, Dr. Konstantinos Kounnamas, and Dr. Chrysanthi Katzi, a member of the team.
Best Thesis Awards

For the best Master's or Doctoral thesis in each of the University's five Faculties. The students who were awarded in this category received an award from the Ioannidis-Dimitriou Law Office:

  • School of Engineering: Michael Chrysostomou
  • School of Education and Social Sciences: Stavros Stavrou
  • School of Business and Law: Chrysanthi Yachanatzi
  • School of Arts, Communication and Cultural Studies: Chrysos Kyriakou
  • School of Health Sciences: Vasso Stylianou
The Michael Frederickou Teaching Excellence Award

Winners

  • The Teaching Excellence Award for conventional programs was awarded to Dr. Byron Ioannou, Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture.
  • The Teaching Excellence Award for distance learning programs was awarded to Dr. Nikleia Eteokleous, Associate Professor at the Department of Educational Sciences.
The Michael Frederickou Research Excellence Awards 

Winners:

  • Best Researcher Award: Presented to Dr. Paris Fokaides, Assistant Professor at the School of Engineering who was recently named among the world's leading researchers. Dr. Fokaides leads the Sustainable Energy Research Group, one of the University’s most fast-growing and promising research groups. Since 2019, Dr. Fokaides has published 37 scientific articles with almost 1200 citations.
  • Most Active Research Group Award:
    Presented to the Cyprus Ionospheric Research Group headed by Dr. Haris Haralambous, Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics. The group, which has a leading role in Cyprus in its field, has in recent years achieved funding for seven research projects with a budget of over 650,000, has organized international conferences and the educational exhibition "The Sun and Us".
Co-Curricular Activities Award

The Co-Curricular Activities have a key role in Frederick University’s innovative educational methods which is why they are recognised and awarded. The award was presented to three activities as follows:

  • The Formula Racing Team where University students work together to develop a racing car and successfully take part in international competitions. The award was received by the team coordinator, Dr Antonis Lontos.
  • FredMun (Frederick University Model UN) where students from different countries simulate the United Nations processes and committees within the University premises. The award was received by the team coordinator, Dr Konstantinos Kouroupis.
  • Mobile Devices Lab where students participate in the development of innovative mobile device applications in various areas of social interest. The award was received by the MDL Director, Dr Andreas Constantinides.
The Sustainable Development Goals Actions Awards

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are fully aligned with Frederick University's core values and have been integrated into its strategy. To demonstrate the importance the University attributes to the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, three relevant awards were presented:

  • Protecting our Planet Award: To the Nature Conservation Unit which specialises on biodiversity conservation, environmental education and natural resources management in Cyprus. The award was received by the Unit’s head, Dr Constantinos Kounnamas.
  • Local Impact Award: To the Nursing Department’s students who offered their services to the state during the pandemic, before even finishing their studies. The award was received by Fotini Grammatikopoulou, Aspasia Andreou and Hashim Hind on behalf of their fellow students.
  • Sustainable Community Award: To the members of EnAF (Equality and Awareness at Frederick), a Frederick University Center on Gender Issues, Diversity and Equality, aiming to foster gender equality in and outside the organisation and to ensure equal opportunities for all. The award was presented by EnAF members Dr Vasiliki Karagouni whom along with Dr. Petroula Mavrikiou developed the code to prevent and deal with harassment and sexual harassment at the University.
The Michael Frederickou Outstanding Contribution Award

This award relates to actions that supported the university and managed to address a significant challenge faced over the past year. This year, the award was granted in relation to the COVID-19 response. It was received by Mr. Stephanos Tsorakis, Director of the Operations & Infrastructure Service, Ms Andrea Athanasiou, Director of the Studies and Student Welfare Service and Dr Nikleia Eteokleous, President of the Distance Learning Committee for successfully tackling the challenges which occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Michael Frederickou Award for an Outstanding Student or Graduate

The award was received by Ms Pavlina Platonos, an Architecture graduate who transformed her community in Lympia through actions implemented by the “Koinon Olympion” initiative.

Best Thesis Awards

For the best Master's or Doctoral thesis in each of the University's five Faculties. The students who were awarded in this category received an award from the Ioannidis-Dimitriou Law Office:

  • School of Engineering: Taqwa Salaheldin Khairy Saeed
  • School of Education and Social Sciences: Rafaella Neofytou
  • School of Business and Law: Demetrios Kamperis and Spyridon Apostolou
  • School of Arts, Communication and Cultural Studies: Adonis Papadopoulos
  • School of Health Sciences: Elena Alexandrou Panayiotopoulou