Marirena Grigoriou is the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs & Lifelong Learning, a Professor of Molecular & Developmental Biology at Democritus University of Thrace, and the President of the Regional Council for Research & Innovation of the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace. She holds a Biology degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Crete. She has worked as a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) and at the Crick Institute in London. She was one of the first faculty members hired in the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics in 2003, contributing to the development of its curriculum and strategic growth. Over the past 10 years, in collaboration with colleagues within and outside Democritus University of Thrace, she has secured approximately €5 million in competitive research funding (INTERREG IIIA, Bilateral R&D Cooperation, EPAnEK, etc.) for the implementation of 16 research projects, serving as the principal investigator in 8 of them. Her published work includes 45 peer-reviewed scientific publications (h-index: 17, citations > 5000), over 80 presentations at international conferences, and one patent. She has served as a reviewer for research proposals in national and European funding calls and is a member of scientific organisations in Greece and abroad.