The DAT ACT lab was founded in 2020 by Dr. Venetia Papa and its mission is to contribute to the study of new media, journalism, activism and beyond.
The Team
Venetia Papa
Venetia Papa is an Assistant Professor in Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Cyprus. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Internet Studies from the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and her MA and BA from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the potential in both the meaning and practices of ICT-mediated social movements and identified the meanings of active citizenship today within the contours of social movement activity. From 2010 to 2018 she was employed at the Cyprus University of Technology as a Research Associate. She has published several scientific articles in refereed journals in the field of Media and Communication studies such as the European Journal of Communication and the Information, Communication, and Society. She is the co-author of the book Mobilisations numeriques: Politiques du conflit et technologies mediatiques (Les Presses des Mines, 2017).
Theodoros Kouros
Dr. Theodoros Kouros is a post-doctoral researcher at the DAT-ACT lab, specializing in the study of the everyday state, strategies and tactics, immigration, nationalism, as well as space and place. His studies include a BA in Sociology (University of Crete), an MA in Social Anthropology (University of Ioannina), and a Ph.D. in Sociology (University of Cyprus). He has participated in numerous research projects and has published his work in journals and edited volumes.
Maria Ioannou
Dr. Maria Ioannou joined the University of Cyprus as a Special Scientist in Sociology in September 2020. She holds a BA in Sociology and a minor degree in Politics, alongside a MA in Social and Political Theory from the University of Cyprus. She received her doctorate from the same University, in February 2020. Her research interests lie in the fields of social movements, political change, collective action, new media, and democracy. She has written several book chapters, relevant to her scientific background, and published for instance by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Her forthcoming articles (year 2021) will be published in the European Journal of Communication and the Information, Communication, and Society. She is currently participating in many research projects, exploring primarily the rise of several contemporary types of protest activities, especially in Europe.
Leandros Savvides
Leandros Savvides (Ph.D. Critical Management Studies, Leicester, 2019) is a postdoc researcher at the University of Cyprus, Department of Social and Political Sciences. His research interests span over multiple disciplines and involve ethnographic, theoretical, and sociological approaches to science and technology, cultural politics, media, and organization studies. His book “3D Printing Cultures, Politics, and Hackerspaces” (2021, Emerald Publishing Ltd) is an ethnographic study that examines the bourgeoning 3D printing culture (narratives, grassroots innovation, urban techno-politics) outside the professional lab in Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, and Fab Labs. His recent work includes theoretical and empirical research on digitally mediated memories and the penetration of AI in journalism.
Paris Demetriades
Paris Demetriades is a graduate of Humanities and Social Sciences (MSc) with a decade-long work experience in journalism. He specifically holds a History degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Masters degree in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as well as a Diploma on Freedom and Pluralism of Traditional and New Media from European University Institute, Florence. Throughout his 11-year career, he has served as a Web Editor in established Cyprus based media as well as a TV journalist and presenter. He has gained valuable experience as an Editor in Chief where he has also worked as a personal media officer for a political campaign and as a Teacher Assistant in the University of Cyprus Journalism Department. More recently, he has participated as an External Research Associate on an academic paper on Facebook and Google News.