Gontikaki

Dr. Evina Gontikaki is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of GeoEnergy (IG) of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH). She holds a degree in Biology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and an MSc in Oceanography from the University of Southampton / National Oceanography Centre (UK). She completed her PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (UK), supported by a Marie Curie Early-Stage Training Network (ECOSUMMER, FP6), focusing on benthic biogeochemistry.

Following her PhD, she worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen (2010–2017), funded by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS). In 2018, she returned to Greece with an Individual Fellowship from the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) and joined the group of Prof. Nicolas Kalogerakis at the Technical University of Crete, where she focused on the bioremediation of deep-sea oil spills. In October 2021, she was appointed Assistant Researcher at the Environment and Circular Economy Division of IG-FORTH, where she now serves as Senior Researcher.

Her research focuses on the structure and function of marine microbial communities and their role in delivering key ecosystem services, including carbon and nutrient cycling, as well as mitigating anthropogenic impacts through pollutant biodegradation. She employs advanced approaches in biogeochemistry (e.g., stable isotope tracer experiments), molecular biology (amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics), and pressure-retaining systems that simulate deep-sea conditions. In recent years, her work has increasingly addressed benthic biogeochemistry within blue carbon ecosystems, contributing to the understanding of carbon storage and cycling in coastal habitats.

RECENT PROJECTS

• 2024-2027 - “BLUEQ - Applied Solutions for Monitoring Coastal Habitats and Quantifying Blue Carbon Storage: An Integrated Approach for Sustainable Ecosystem Management”, Interreg VI - B IPA Adriatic Ionian Cooperation Programme 2024-2027 
• 2022-2025 - “X-PRESS - EXtreme environments: High PRESsure Sampling and experimentation system for deep sea hydrocarbon releases”, HFRI.  
• 2018-2021 - “HEALMED - Determination of the self-healing capabilities of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to accidental deep-sea oil releases” (PI), Technical University of Crete, HFRI.

ink: https://www.forth.gr/13th-forth-retreat/_presentations/13th%20FORTH%20Retreat_Gontikaki_for%20pdf.pdf

FB Lab: https://www.facebook.com/deepseabiosphere

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/evina-gontikaki-b6103b5/

Research Gate:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evina_Gontikaki