Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri is an economist renowned for pioneering human-centric, interdisciplinary, mathematical systems that enable the sustainable interaction between nature, society, and the economy. She holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge, UCL, LSE, the University of Reading (UK), and the Technical University of Denmark. She is currently Professor at the School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business; Visiting Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge and Senior Research Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge — her alma mater.
She is the founder of the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria-AE4RIA (involving 200 researchers), and she is included (in various prestigious rankings) as top 1-2% of world scientists (19 books, 650 published papers, 100 projects, impact in 120 countries). Since 2019 she is the President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), Chair of the World Council of Environmental Resource Economists Association, Chair of the United Nations SDSN Global Climate Hub (2000 universities), and Co-chair of SDSN Europe (900 universities). She serves as an advisor to numerous multilateral institutions—including the United Nations, G20, World Bank, European Commission, European Investment Bank (EIB). She also advises national governments around the world.European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Health Organization (WHO)—as well as to national governments around the world.
She is a member of the Nominating Committee for the Nobel Prize in Economics and elected Fellow of several prestigious academies, including Academia Europaea, the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS, where she also serves as a trustee), the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP); and Fellow in scientific associations including the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), and the European Forest Institute. She is a member of the EIB Climate Leaders Network. She is also a member of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (Section:Financing for Development in the Jubilee Year 2025). Additional scientific distinctions include the highly prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant and the Academy of Athens Award for Best Scientist—an honor awarded only once every four years. She serves as an Ambassador for the ERC, was named World Ambassador of Happiness and Peace (2022), a title conferred by the Government of India at the House of Lords in London. In 2025 she was invited by the UN General Secretary to co-chair the 2027 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report.
Prof. Koundouri's interdisciplinary approach and commitment to addressing complex global sustainability challenges through integrated research, policy engagement, and practical impact, has influenced policies and driven socio-economic change across all continents.