Maria Kousis is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Research and Studies at the University of Crete; she also served as Director of the MA & PhD program (2004-2008) and vice-Director of the MSc in Bioethics. She was coordinator of the EC DGXII project ‘Grassroots Environmental Action & Sustainable Development in the Southern European Union’ and partner in EC projects including TEA, PAGANINI and MEDVOICES. Publications include 11 edited volumes/books/special issues and 61 articles/book chapters, including Economic and Political Contention in Comparative Perspective (co-edited with Charles Tilly; Paradigm, 2005). Her research is focussed on Social Change, Contentious Politics, Environmental Politics, Bioethics and Southern Europe. Her current work focusses on the socio-economic and political dimensions of the crisis, especially in the context of the GGCRISI (Greek-German Ministries Cooperation), LIVEWHAT (FP7), TRANSSOL (H2020) and EURYKA (H2020) projects.