Thanassis Karalis
Professor, Coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Patras
Thanassis Karalis is Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education of the University of Patras. He has collaborated with many educational institutions as trainer, consultant, coordinator and evaluator of adult education programs. He was the coordinator of the National Program for Education of Educators (General Secretariat of Lifelong Learning - 2014), where more than 4.200 adult educators of Greece were trained on a hybrid program. At the University of Patras he is coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning, former member of the Board of Directors of the Center of Lifelong Education, coordinator of the Child Rights Center (established by UNICEF Greece Country Office and University of Patras), former member of Quality Assurance Unit, and of COVID-19 CMC (Crisis Management Committee). He is founding member and vice president of the Hellenic Adult Education Association, member of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education / American Association for Adult and Continuing Education. He is founding member of the Hellenic Network for University Pedagogy and member of the steering committee of the Balkan Network of University Pedagogy. Since 1995 has participated in 49 national and European research and development projects, being scientific coordinator in 28 of them. He is author or co-author of more than about 200 works in English, French and Greek, including twelve books. His research interests include adult and higher education, university pedagogy, planning and evaluation of non-formal education programs, learning, participation of adults in educational programs. In 2022, he was awarded the “Evangelos Papanoutsos” Award for Excellence in Teaching by the University of Patras. In 2025, he was honored by UNICEF for his contribution to the promotion of children's rights in academia.