It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of our colleague and friend, Dr Eleftheria Vasileiadou. Eleftheria was a Research Fellow with the Earth System Governance Project for many years.
In January 2014, she joined the Technology, Innovation and Society group of the Technical University Eindhoven, The Netherlands as Assistant Professor in Environmental Science in Society. Earlier affiliations included the Institute for Environmental Studies at VU University Amsterdam, with which she still maintained a link, as well as the University of Amsterdam, the Technical University Berlin, and the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Eleftheria’s scholarly contributions to our community were diverse and timely. She had a strong interest in how scientific knowledge on environmental topics was produced by experts and communicated to the broader public. Empirically she focussed on scientific and technological knowledge generation relating to climate change, contributing important papers for example on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the societal framing of geoengineering technologies. Eleftheria also studied the role of participatory processes in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, with a focus on the societal framing of climate adaptation, stakeholder consultations for climate mainstreaming, and local community investments in renewable energies.
Eleftheria was highly valued as a young and rising scholar and dedicated teacher in her field, having developed a compelling research line that was, unfortunately, cut short much too early. To all who had the privilege of working with her, she quickly became a dear colleague and friend. She combined a deep passion for her scholarly work with a broad interest in contemporary political and social issues, an infectious sense of humour, boundless energy and enthusiasm, and great interest in other people. She was loved for her generosity, compassion, and empathy for those around her.
Eleftheria passed away on 4 April 2016 in her home in Amsterdam, just a few days before her 39th birthday. Her vibrant presence will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
