Maria Tomai is a PhD Fellow at UNU-MERIT.
In her PhD thesis, she focuses on circular economy transitions and urban transformations, particularly in the context of developing countries. Her research also delves into the transition design and governance of socio-technical systems for contributing to more resilient, sustainable and prosperous economies. She follows a transdisciplinary research approach, employing participatory scenario planning and system dynamics modelling, along with transition theories. Maria is teaching on graduate levels and supervising master theses. Since 2020, she is tutoring in the Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development of the Maastricht University’s Graduate School of Governance, while her teaching portfolio includes courses such as Public Policy, Policy and Programme Evaluation, Innovation for Sustainability, Research Design, Solution Design and Policy Communication. Maria holds a MSc. in Global Innovation Economics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a BSc. in Business Administration from Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece.