Dr. Stella Kyvelou is the MSP focal point for the Eastern Mediterranean (MSP Assistance mechanism, European MSP Platform). She is Professor and Head of the Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies at the Department of Economic and Regional Development of Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. Architect-Engineer and Planner, she specialises in European environmental policy, local development and Maritime Spatial Planning, carrying out research and teaching of MSP at Panteion University.Her research activities include European territorial development and cohesion and served as Director of the ESPON2013 National Contact Point (2008-2015) providing, in parallel, consultancy to the Greek Ministry of Development. She has been involved as expert in several MSP projects, namely SUPREME, IMP facility for the Med, MUSES, IMP facility for the Black Sea etc. and as coordinator in ESPONTrain (LP), ESPON-INTERSTRAT, ESPON-USESPON, and ESPON-on-the-Road. Currently she is PI of the HER-SEA research project “Developing an Observation Network for Maritime Cultural Heritage (MCH/UCH) in Greece”. Her research interests are focusing on blue economy, MSP, tourism and heritage, incorporation of MCH/UCH in MSP, land-sea interaction, sustainable urban development and sustainable construction, inclusive growth, geography and geopolitics. She is author of several books and articles, columnist in electronic media and key-note speaker in numerous international meetings and conferences. She has served as Deputy Head the Dpt of Economic and Regional development of Panteion University (2018-2020) and was Special Adviser to the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy on issues related to insular policies, MSP and conservation of the marine environment (2018-2019).Stella has a great number of publications in scientific journals, international conferences and scientific books, among them a collective Handbook entitled “Maritime Spatial issues: maritime dimension of territorial cohesion, MSP, sustainable blue growth” (ed.KRITIKI, 2016). She teaches at International Master and PhD programmes. In 2011, she was awarded by the French government «Chevalier à l’ordre de Palmes Académiques». Currently, Stella was nominated as member of the National (Greek) Council of Spatial Planning ( 2022-2025).