Matina Papagiannopoulou is a gender expert and social scientist/researcher with studies in Sociology (BA, Panteion University, Greece), Criminology (MA, Panteion University, Greece) and International Security Studies (MA, University of Reading, United Kingdom) and has specialised in gender equality and gender based violence issues.
She has 20 years of experience in management, coordination and scientific supervision of projects and surveys related to gender equality issues. More specifically, she has been the scientific coordinator of large-scale nationwide surveys (e.g. Sexual harassment against women in Greek workplaces, Intimate-partner violence against women in Greece, etc.). She has also engaged as a research scientist in more than 50 research projects in gender equality issues (e.g. VAW, trafficking in women, female immigration, etc.) and has participated as a national researcher/gender expert for EIGE Projects. She has collaborated with public and private institutions, such as the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, the European University of Cyprus, the National Centre of Social Research/EKKE, etc. Moreover, she has published many books, articles in journals, policy papers etc.
Between 2001 and 2009, she worked for the Research Centre for Gender Equality, in charge of the Research and Publications Department. Between 2010 and 2012, she worked for the General Secretariat for Gender Equality as Scientific Consultant for the promotion of gender equality policies. Since 2013, she has cooperated with the Research Centre for Gender Equality, as the Scientific Coordinator of the supporting structures of the nationwide Network for Preventing and Combating Violence against Women (62 counseling centers and shelters). She is also a certified member of the Trainers of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government (Ministry of Interior), where she is a trainer on gender-based violence and gender mainstreaming issues since 2006.