Women Who Pioneer: A Sit-Down With Roxani Chatzipanagiotou
Women Who Pioneer:
A Sit-Down With Roxani Chatzipanagiotou
Creating supportive networks and highlighting diverse voices helps break stereotypes and opens doors for future innovators.
Roxani Chatzipanagiotou, IRES
What is your current role in PIONEER?
My role in the project is to perform Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), in order to evaluate the environmental sustainability of the developed processes. The entire lifecycle of a certain product can be analysed with LCA, starting from the acquisition of raw materials, and ending with the end-of-life phase, where the product is sent to waste treatment. This way, we can identify hotspots along the lifecycle, such as materials or processes that have high contribution to the environmental impacts, which can be thereafter targeted for mitigation. By examining the full lifecycle, and investigating different types of impacts (e.g., climate change potential, ecotoxicity, resource depletion, etc.), this approach allows a fair comparison between alternatives, and prevents problem shifting, wherein a new technology may be more beneficial for a certain life stage or impact category, but may at the same time perform worse in other life stages or impact categories, compared to its alternative.
What inspired you to focus your studies on Environmental Technology?
My journey started with a degree in Biology, where I became fascinated by the hidden world of microorganisms. I was amazed by how these tiny organisms can play such big roles in sustainable technologies - how they can transform waste into valuable resources, clean water, and even generate electricity! That connection between nature and innovation inspired me to focus on environmental technology and to research solutions for a greener future.
How did this lead to your current field of expertise?
Exploring these technologies made me realize that their environmental impact, as well as how this is analyzed and communicated to relevant stakeholders, matters just as much as their technical performance. Interdisciplinarity was a very important part of the MSc studies I followed at Wageningen University, and this inspired me to approach research and innovation from a holistic perspective. That’s why I moved into Life Cycle Assessment; it allows me to evaluate the bigger picture and ensure that new solutions truly support a greener future. Today, I work on several European research projects, where I can contribute to shaping technologies that are both innovative and sustainable.
If you could enact one significant change (policy, educational, organisational) to improve participation of women in STEM, what would it be?
I would invest in mentorship and visibility programs that connect young women with role models in STEM. Seeing someone who looks like you succeed can make a huge difference in confidence and career choices. Creating supportive networks and highlighting diverse voices helps break stereotypes and opens doors for future innovators.
