Onassis Foundation Scholarship Results for the 2026–27 Academic Year

Since 1978, the Onassis Foundation has supported more than 8,000 scientists and researchers through its Scholarship Program, helping shape an impressive legacy of achievement. For the 2026–27 academic year, we welcome 112 new scholars who will pursue postgraduate and doctoral studies at leading universities around the world, conducting research and advancing the professions of the future. In the welcome video, Maria Kechagioglou recites C. P. Cavafy’s poem, “The First Step,” reflecting on the significance of every new beginning.

Maria Grammatikou

She graduated with honors from the Department of Special Education at the University of Thessaly and completed her postgraduate studies with Distinction at the University of Kent, UK, obtaining an MSc in Analysis and Intervention in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. She is currently enrolled at the University of Birmingham, UK, where she is pursuing a PhD in Education with a dissertation entitled “Sensory-Inclusive Architecture in Educational Settings.”

Her research focuses on Special Education and is distinguished by its interdisciplinary approach, combining architecture, psychology, and Special Education. She examines whether a design intended to facilitate access for one group may inadvertently create barriers for another.

Renia Morfakidou

Already an Onassis Scholar for postgraduate studies at the University of Copenhagen, where she earned an MSc in Information Technology and Cognition, she had previously graduated with honors from the School of Psychology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Copenhagen.

Her research focuses on simulation-based ultrasound skills training using wearable sensors. Trainees do not practice directly on real patients, but on safe ultrasound simulators, eliminating any risk to patients. At the same time, the research examines the trainees’ physical and behavioral responses throughout the learning process.

The aim is to identify learning patterns, distinguish between novice and experienced users, correlate sensor data with performance, and support the design of intelligent feedback systems.

Evangelos Vaiannis

He graduated at the top of his class from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and subsequently completed his postgraduate studies at Columbia University in the United States (MA in Sociology). He has been admitted to pursue doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington, USA.

His research examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping the relationships between physicians, patients, algorithms, and healthcare organizations. At its core is the question of epistemic authority: who is considered the most reliable source of knowledge when making critical medical decisions. While this role has traditionally been held by the physician, new actors are now emerging, including artificial intelligence systems, predictive algorithms, and machine-learning diagnostic models.

Efthymia Kostaki

She graduated at the top of her class from the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business, earning a bachelor’s degree with two specializations: Operations Research and Business Analytics, as well as Software Technologies and Data Analysis. She continued her postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, earning an MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, and Operations. Alongside her studies, she has taken on leadership roles within her college community, serving as the elected Sports Officer on the student committee, where she promotes greater student participation in activities that support mental well-being.

She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK. Her research will examine the role of human and organizational factors in the effective conduct of clinical trials.

Konstantinos Axarlis

He graduated at the top of his class from the Department of Biology at the University of Crete and subsequently completed his postgraduate studies at the same university, in collaboration with the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology–Hellas (FORTH), obtaining an MSc in Molecular Biology & Biomedicine. He is currently pursuing an MPhil/PhD in Biomedical and Medical Sciences at the Francis Crick Institute of King’s College London in the United Kingdom.

His research proposal investigates how aging and previous episodes of tissue injury and repair influence the regenerative capacity of the lung and its microenvironment, creating conditions that may either promote or suppress tumor initiation. The goal is to identify the biological mechanisms that make middle age a particularly vulnerable period for tumor initiation, linking aging, tissue regeneration, and carcinogenesis.

Dimitrios Kotsos

He graduated at the top of his class from the School of Medicine at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and subsequently completed his postgraduate studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam with an Onassis Foundation scholarship, earning an MSc in Clinical Research. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the same university.

His doctoral research investigates prognostic and therapeutic factors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), integrating clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular data to improve risk stratification and enable more personalized treatment approaches. By analyzing large international databases and data from clinical studies, his research aims to develop more accurate prognostic models and treatment decision-making algorithms for specific subgroups of patients with AML.

Konstantina Vasilakou

She graduated with honors from the Department of Mathematics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. With the support of an Onassis Foundation scholarship, she went on to complete an MSc in Neural Systems and Computation jointly offered by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. She has been admitted to pursue an MPhil/PhD in Political Economy Research at King’s College London.

Her research focuses on political economic theory and examines the psychological and informational mechanisms that hinder policy change in democracies, even when such policies are the subject of intense political debate.

Olga Lyraki

She is already an Onassis Scholar, having received a scholarship for postgraduate studies at the University of Crete, where she earned a master’s degree in the Molecular Basis of Human Disease. She graduated with honors from the Department of Biology at the University of Crete, specializing in Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) in Germany.

Her research examines whether the developing eye plays a role beyond vision by using electrical signals to guide the migration of cranial neural crest cells, which form the structures of the face and skull. The goal is to investigate whether the eye’s bioelectric signals contribute to proper craniofacial development and whether artificial “electrical” microsystems can replicate this function.

Ioannis Lyras

He graduated with honors from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, specializing in Air and Ground Transportation Systems, and was admitted to pursue doctoral studies at Columbia University in the United States.

His research will focus on designing optimal, cost-effective, and resilient solutions for reinforcing deteriorated concrete columns, primarily using thin-walled metallic or composite materials. The goal is to develop a computational model capable of determining the most appropriate form of reinforcement so that the columns retain their stability and strength under extreme loads, including during earthquakes, impacts, and explosions.

Niki-Vanessa Evbouomwan

She graduated with honors from the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus and was admitted to the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, in the United Kingdom, to pursue an MA in Anthropology of the Environment and Sustainability.

She is actively involved in issues of identity, representation, and the empowerment of the African diaspora. Through research, curating cultural projects, community organizing, and her professional work, she promotes the amplification of African voices and the creation of more inclusive and equitable societies.

She aspires to make the most of her postgraduate studies by combining research with community action to help address underrepresentation and empower the African community in Greece and internationally.