Maria Karidi holds a PhD in Media and Communication Studies and Sociology from the University of Munich (LMU), a MA degree in Media and Political Communication and a BA degree in Communication and Modern Greek Studies both from Freie Universität Berlin. Prior to joining the CMPF she worked as research and teaching associate at LMU’s Department of Communication Studies and Media Research, where she also participated in a trans-disciplinary project dealing with resilience and social change (ForChange), funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for Education, Science and the Arts. In the past, Maria has worked for the European Commission, the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists and for MEDIADEM at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy. Her research interests lie in the fields of comparative (news) media research, political communication and social theory.