Lilian Balatsou

"I will always cherish my time and experiences at Bangor University"

"I graduated in 2020 from Bangor with a fully-funded PhD in Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience). Bangor University supported my doctoral research in the Department of Psychology and equipped me with state-of-the art skills in neuroscience, behavioral science and experimental research. At Bangor I was lucky to be part of a vibrant academic community, which upskilled me in active research and scientific communication. I was an Instructor for Scientific Communication for two years to undergraduate students in Psychology and a T.A. in Psychology of Language for Masters students. I was also a researcher in two scientific laboratories along my advisors, Dr Gary Oppenheim and Professor Guillaume Thierry.

At Bangor I was fully transformed as a scientist, a lecturer and I learned some of the most important research skills, because I received huge support from my advisors and the department.

After completing my PhD, I decided to transition to the Artificial Intelligence industry back to my home country, Greece and transform my research and scientific skills to a business-oriented skillset. I was also passionate to try to communicate the values of scientific diversity and interdisciplinarity back to Greece and in 2021 I founded a digital campaign, entitled Greek Girls Code, which aims to help inspire more women in Greece to gain digital and STEM skills.

I recently received the Social Action 2023 award by the British Council and the UK Embassy in Greece and I was thrilled to receive a congratulatory message from Professor Andrew Edwards, Pro-Vice- Chancellor on behalf of the university during the ceremony.

I will always cherish my time and experiences at Bangor University, the amazing people I met there, the natural beauty of North Wales and the openness and diversity in science I was exposed to."