President appoints Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou as Deputy Minister of Culture

The Presidential Office issued a statement today announcing the resignation of Michalis Hatzigiannis from his role as Deputy Minister of Culture. Simultaneously, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has appointed Dr. Vasiliki (Lina) Kassianidou as the new Deputy Minister of Culture.

President Christodoulides expressed his gratitude to Michalis Hatzigiannis, emphasizing their longstanding friendship, cordial cooperation, and the contribution Hatzigiannis made during his brief tenure as Deputy Minister of Culture. The President wished Hatzigiannis personal and professional success in his remarkable artistic career, which he has served with great accomplishment over the years.

Concurrently, the President made the decision to appoint Dr. Vasiliki (Lina) Kassianidou as the new Deputy Minister of Culture.

Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou has been teaching Environmental Archaeology and Archaeometry at the University of Cyprus since 1994. In May 2023, she was elected Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at the same university.

She pursued her studies in Chemistry and Classical Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College in the United States. Continuing her academic journey, she obtained her Ph.D. in Archaeometallurgy from the UCL Institute of Archaeology in London in 1993.

From June 2015 to September 2019, Dr. Kassianidou served as the Director of the Archaeology Research Unit. Additionally, she held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation from 2014 to 2016. Notably, she is a member of the National Council for Innovation and Research of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO. In 2022, she was elected as a Corresponding Member of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Dr. Kassianidou has an extensive body of work, with numerous publications including over a hundred articles in journals, edited volumes, and conference proceedings. She has also edited five volumes and actively participated in various field and interdisciplinary research projects, receiving funding from esteemed institutions such as the European Union, the Research and Innovation Foundation, the A. G. Leventis Foundation, and the University of Cyprus.

Married to Dr. George Papasavvas, an Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Cyprus, Dr. Kassianidou is a mother to two sons, Yiannis and Christoforos.

The appointment of Dr. Vasiliki (Lina) Kassianidou as the Deputy Minister of Culture marks a significant development in the cultural landscape of Cyprus.