Maria Psyllou

• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), University of Birmingham
• PhD in Economics, University of Leicester
• MSc in Banking and Finance, University of Leicester
• BSc in Mathematics and Statistics, University of Cyprus
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Maria obtained her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Cyprus in 2011. She started an MSc in Banking and Finance in 2012 and a PhD in Economics in 2013, both from the University of Leicester. Prior to joining the department, Maria worked as a Teaching Associate at the Queen Mary University of London. Her research work has mainly been on the intergenerational transmission of cognitive skills.  

• Introduction to Mathematics for Economics
• Econometrics
• Applied Economics and Statistics
• Advanced Microeconomics
• Economics of Financial Markets

Research interests

Economics of Education, Gender Economics, Inequality, Labour Economics, Environmental Economics.

Pedagogical Projects involve gamification, escape room games, AI in teaching and assessments, widening participation and female underrepresentation in Economics.

• External Examiner for Queen Mary University of London, 2021-Present
• Aurora Leadership Development Certificate, Advance Higher Education Academy, 2022
• Director Academic Integrity Officer for the Department of Economics, 2020-2023
• MSc Dissertation Supervisor
• Final Year Undergraduate Extended Essay Supervisor
• RES UK Women in Economics Network (UK WEN) Lead for ‘Inspire’ Initiative
• Volunteer Inspire Initiative at the Royal Economics Society (RES) UK Women in Economics Network (UK WEN) co-organising national events with Professor Almudena Sevilla
• Mentor at The Women in Economics Initiative
• Discover Economics Academic Champion for the Department of Economics University of Birmingham
• Co-founder, Co-Lead and Co-organiser Birmingham Economics Education Seminars (BEES) (with Tim Burnett (University of Aston) and Wenyu Zang (Birmingham City University))
• Certified Manager and Business Educator (CMBE)
• Organiser and leader of numerous school outreach initiatives, targeting female students from disadvantaged backgrounds, aiming to reduce the gender imbalance in economics studies.