President
Dr. Karin Markides earned her doctorate degree from University of Stockholm in Sweden and specializes in analytical chemistry. As a researcher, she has filed and registered numerous patents, including "Novel Liquid Crystalline Compounds and Polymers," "Chiral Polysiloxane Compounds and Polymers," and “Encapsulated Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery,” published 289 peer-reviewed papers, and delivered over 500 presentations to academia and general public.
After serving as President and CEO of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden as well as American University of Armenia, she was elected for President and CEO of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in February 2023 to assume the post on June 1, 2023.
Dr. Markides is appointed Professor Emeriti of Analytical Chemistry at Uppsala University as well as Elected Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA), where she has been involved in the selection of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the promotion of science for society, schools, and academia.
She is also a mentor and board member of Einride, a start-up company founded by an alumni of Chalmers University of Technology, and has led industry by serving on executive boards and scientific advisory boards for various companies.
As Deputy Director General of "VINNOVA," the State Agency for Innovation Systems in Sweden (2004-2006), and Chairman of the Board of Johannesburg Science Park (2014-2016), Dr. Markides has also been fostering a culture of open knowledge and innovation ecosystems and contributed to the development of an ecosystem of collaboration between industry, academia and government.
Dr. Markides has also been deeply involved in policy development, serving as Development Leader and Chairman of The Swedish Scientific Council for Sustainable Development (2015-2019) and President of CESAER (Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research) (2009-2011).