Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Biology, University of Miami, 2022
  • M.S., Environmental Sciences, University of Aegean, Greece, 2017
  • B.S., Environmental Sciences, University of Aegean, Greece, 2015
Professional Affiliations
  • Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment

Dr. Thanopoulou is a quantitative coastal ecologist with a broad background in environmental sciences, including experimental design, field sampling, and analysis and visualization of complex datasets. Most of her work has been focused on the effects of anthropogenic stressors and climate change on aquatic faunal communities. Her doctoral research specifically investigated the relationship between water quality and benthic communities in nearshore coastal areas characterized by high anthropogenic inputs. In addition, Dr. Thanopoulou has analyzed the responses of nearshore coral populations to high nutrient loads in the water column.

Through her doctoral work, Dr. Thanopoulou has collaborated with professionals from various disciplines and backgrounds on both regulatory compliance and risk assessment projects. She evaluated certain nutrient threshold limits posed by management agencies and highlighted the importance of imposing ecologically meaningful water quality and nutrient criteria for coastal areas. Further work on analysis of historic data sets of marine benthos allowed for comparisons to current ecosystem conditions. This may be particularly helpful for clients seeking to establish baseline conditions for various coastal case studies.