Phoebe Koundouri is a professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Econometrics. Her research focuses on the interaction between socio-economic systems and the environment. According to a Stanford University database, she ranks (for multiple years) among the top 2% of scientists globally in terms of research impact and citations. She is also a member of the Nominating Committee for the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Koundouri is a Professor at the School of Economics, Department of International and European Economic Studies, at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). She is Founder and Director of the Research Laboratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES) at the same university. She is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, and a Senior Research Associate at Peterhouse at the University of Cambridge. She is also the Founder and Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Athena Research Center.
She is the founder and Scientific Director of the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria (AE4RIA), a research network involving over 200 researchers and more than 100 competitively funded interdisciplinary projects across over 120 countries. She also serves as Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub, and Co-Chair of SDSN Europe, which engages over 2,000 universities worldwide.
Professor Koundouri is an academician, elected fellow of several academies including Academia Europaea, World Academy of Art and Science, European Academy of Sciences and Arts, InterAcademy Partnership, Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World, Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences – Program on the Fraternal Economy, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), and the European Forest Institute. In 2020, she received a European Research Council Synergy Grant. In 2021, she was awarded the EAERE ERC Award for scientific excellence. In 2023, she received the Academy of Athens Award for Scientific Excellence., an award presented every four years by the Academy to recognize outstanding scientific contributions.
In 2019, she was elected President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE), a scientific association with more than 1,500 member institutions from over 75 countries. She currently serves as Chair of the World Council of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists Associations (WCEREA), which brings together regional associations including those in the USA, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Professor Koundouri's international activities include advisory work in the multilateral space, such as Academia Europaea Representative to the S20 Task Force 2 on Bioeconomy of the G20 Heads of States, Commissioner for the Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Recovery, member of the Fraternal Economy of Integral and Sustainable Development of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the European Investment Bank Climate Leaders Network, the Leading Women for the Ocean (LWO), the National Board for Research and Innovation (NBRI) of Cyprus, the Special Scientific Committee on Climate Change of the Greek Ministry of the Environment and Energy and its representative in the International Climate Councils Network (ICCN), the Regional Action on Climate Change International Advisory Committee (RACC-IAC) associated with the STS Forum funded by the government of Japan; Earth-Humanity Coalition (EHC), EU Climate Pact Ambassador, Scientific and Conservation Council, Tour du Valat Institut de Recherche pour la Conservation des Zones Humides Méditerranéenne, EAERE observer for the 7th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) and scientific stakeholder to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, and Ambassador for the European Research Council (ERC). She has also acted as an advisor to the United Nations, G20, World Bank, European Commission, European Investment Bank, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, OECD, World Health Organization, as well as governments and public and private organizations internationally.
She holds an MPhil and a PhD in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Politics, Department of Economics, University of Cambridge, and has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Reading, London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Technical University of Denmark.
She has published 19 monographs and edited volumes, as well as more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers and around 200 articles in the public press, in fields such as economics and econometrics, mathematics, social sciences, environmental sciences, geosciences, multidisciplinary sciences and philosophy of science, including publications in Nature, The Lancet, and other leading economics, econometrics and sustainability science journals. She serves as editor or co-editor of several academic journals, including Nature: Climate Action, Environmental and Resource Economics, and Frontiers in Environmental Economics. She has also organized international scientific conferences, supervised PhD students, and delivered keynote speeches at international conferences and multilateral fora.
Her research spans climate economics, sustainable finance, biodiversity, water, innovation, and intergenerational equity, and has been cited in both academic and policy-making contexts.
She resides in Athens, Greece, with her husband, Professor Nikitas Pittis, and their three daughters Chrysilia, Billie and Athena.
Distinctions & Awards Professor Phoebe Koundouri has been recognized for her contributions to environmental and resource economics through election to several scientific academies and organizations, as well as awards for her research on sustainability and policy development.
Academy Fellowships and Scientific Societies Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science (Elected 2021) Fellow, Academia Europaea (Elected 2022) Fellow, European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Elected 2023) Fellow, European Forest Institute (Elected 2024) Fellow, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) (Elected 2024) Fellow, Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (Elected 2024)
Awards & Recognitions 2023 – Excellence in Science Award, Academy of Athens, for contributions to the science of the marine environment. 2024 – Manolis Christofides Award. 2022 – Best Applied Paper Award, Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis (for 2021 paper "Open Access in Scientific Information..."). 2022 – Best Poster Award, 1st International Electronic Conference on Land. 2022 – Bharat Gaurav Samman – World Ambassador of Happiness and Peace, conferred at the House of Lords, London. 2021 – Member of the Nominating Committee for the Nobel Prize in Economics. 2021 – Recipient of the European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant – ERC Water Futures. 2021 – EAERE Award for ERC Grant laureates in environmental and resource economics. 2015 – Quality of Policy Contribution Award, European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE), for co-authored 2014 article. 2011 – Best Publication Award, EAAE (for 2009 paper in European Review of Agricultural Economics). 2019 – European Commission Horizon Impact Award, for the SMART-COASTS project. 1994 – Ronald L. Meeks Prize in Economics, University of Leicester. 1991 – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Mathematics Award.
History of Academic Positions
Professor Phoebe Koundouri has held academic positions at universities in the UK, Greece and Denmark. 1995–1996: Peterhouse College Supervisor, University of Cambridge, UK. 1996–1997: Research Assistant, Applied Economics Department, Faculty of Economics and Politics, University of Cambridge, UK. 1999–2000: Affiliated Lecturer in Economics, School of Public Policy, University College London (UCL), UK. 2000–2005: Lecturer (A and B with tenure) in Economics, Department of Economics, University of Reading, UK. 2000–2005: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Economics & CSERGE, University College London (UCL), UK. 2005–present: Professor in Economics, School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), Greece. 2013–2016: Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. 2022–2025: Research Professor (part-time), Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark. 2025–present: Visiting Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge.
Work & Influence
Professor Phoebe Koundouri's work in environmental and natural resource economics includes research on sustainability, the circular economy, and climate policy. She has collaborated with European and international institutions such as the European Commission, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the OECD.
As Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub and Co-Chair of SDSN Europe, she has been involved in work related to the implementation of the European Green Deal and sustainable finance initiatives. She has also contributed to policy discussions on climate resilience, water resource management, and biodiversity conservation.
Leadership and Institutional Roles In addition to her academic positions, Professor Koundouri has held leadership roles in a number of research and sustainability organizations: Director, Research Laboratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES), Athens University of Economics and Business Director, Sustainable Development Unit (SDU), ATHENA Research and Innovation Center Founder and Scientific Director, Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria (AE4RIA) Chair, World Council of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists Associations (WCEREA) Chair, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub Co-Chair, SDSN Europe Honorary Co-Chair, SDSN Greece Co-Chair, SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group Co-Lead, Academia Europaea Task Force on Environment, Sustainability, and Climate (TFESC) Co-Lead, Scientific Committee, InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Statement on Human Security President (2020–2021), Executive President (2022–2023), Past President (2024–2025) and Council Member, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) Director (2018–2022), EIT Climate KIC Hub Greece Chair (2020–2021), Vice-Chair (2018–2019), Scientific Advisory Board, European Forest Institute Chair (2014), Scientific Advisory Board, ICRE8: International Research Center on the Environment and the Economy Chair, Scientific Advisory Board of the Post Bank Green Institute, Greece (2010–2011). Deputy Member, Temporary General Assembly of the Hellenic Research and Innovation Foundation (ELIDEK)
Throughout her career, she has led more than 100 European and international research projects, funded by the European Union and other organizations, with outputs cited in both academic and policy-making contexts.
She is also a frequent speaker at international conferences and multilateral fora on sustainability and economic policy.
Editorial Roles and Journal Memberships
Professor Koundouri has served in editorial roles for a number of academic journals and book series in the fields of environmental and resource economics, sustainability, and development. 2025–present: Editor, Elements Book Series in Environmental and Resource Economics and Development (Cambridge University Press) 2025–present: Editorial Board Member, Environment and Public Health Research 2023–present: Associate Editor, Nature Climate Action