IAPP Greece

We are interested in developing relationships with Greek universities to host Tufts students in existing summer courses or to work with our faculty to jointly develop short term courses in Greece that would be offered in the summer or during winter term and provide an opportunity for Tufts and Greek students to interact.

• Areas of interest for faculty-led short term courses include: archaeology (with our Department of Classical Studies) as well as subjects in which Tufts has strength and that have high student demand, such as engineering, data science and computer science (including digital humanities), environment and urban policy, international relations, and entrepreneurship, among others.
• In addition, Tufts offers a summer term featuring hundreds of classes across a number of disciplines—from humanities, languages, and arts, to engineering, computer science, politics, nutrition, and public health, which Greek students would be welcome to join. 
• Through the International Programs & Partnerships unit, Tufts develops customized programs for universities, taught by Tufts faculty, that are focused on themes the university wants their students to explore in a U.S. context.

We are interested in working with partners to develop opportunities (online and in person) for students collaboration online and in person, and for research and internship opportunities in Greece and at Tufts.

• Collaborative online international learning.  Tufts’ recently launched Global Integrated Learning and Design (GILD) initiative encourages and supports faculty in creating course-based collaborative, online experiential learning opportunities and/or co-curricular collaborative student research opportunities with international partners.  We are eager to explore possibilities for collaboration between Tufts and Greek faculty to develop modules integrating online collaborative learning activities that would allow students to work together and learn from each other, with the possibility also of short visits and in-person activities in the US and/or Greece.  Tufts Departments of Political Science and Economics, and our interdisciplinary International Relations program, are particularly interested in developing these courses. They offer strength in political theory, sovereignty, migration and refugees, international security, and political psychology, and more quantitative expertise in expertise in economic development, political economy, energy and the environment, migration and international economics. 
• The Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts brings student delegates from the U.S. service academies and universities throughout the world to engage participate in its annual EPIIC Symposium and engage in discussion and exchange about the Symposium’s theme prior to and during the Symposium itself. The student-designed and facilitated symposium brings international practitioners, academics, public intellectuals, activists, and journalists to Tufts each year for debate and small group discussions on a theme of international importance.  Students from several Greek universities participated in the recent symposium on migration.  We hope to provide the opportunity annually for Greek participation in this program.
• Given Tufts’ particular commitment to active citizenship, supported by programs through the Tisch College of Civic Life, we would be interested in exploring collaborations on service learning together with Greek students. Additionally, Tisch College offers an International Summer Fellows program, which offers opportunities and funding for students who want to spend their summer around the globe undertaking self-directed service or research projects outside of the United States. We could promote available opportunities in Greece to Tufts students. 
• We would be interested in creating opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to conduct research with faculty and/or labs, in Greece and at Tufts.

We are interested in exploring possibilities for joint and collaborative research and faculty exchange.

Research Priorities

• Climate, Renewable Energy, Agriculture, Technology, and Ecology (CREATE) Solutions: CREATE Solutions is bringing together innovative, solutions–driven climate research from across Tufts University and building capacity for further research and impact. Our work responds to the integrated nature of the technical, environmental, and societal challenges we face. 
• COVID-19 Research Group: Tufts COVID-19 Research Group has demonstrated strengths in the six major areas related to COVID-19/emerging pathogens research, and has formed a number of sub-groups, including animal hosts, immunity and disease, public health, social, economic and political impacts, technology and development, and virology in order to deepen niches within the broader subject area and provide ground for future collaborations with external partners. Together with Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute Tufts will be mounting a Virtual Symposium to further advance the goals of the Mass CPR consortium.
• Laboratory for Living Devices/ L2d: At the Laboratory for Living Devices (L2D) we are working to unlock the unique properties of natural materials to meet the most critical challenges of our time. We work at the intersection of materials science, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, human health, and the arts. Our innovations are driving scientific discovery, sustainable manufacturing, and translation into real-world applications.
• Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research (TIGOR): Obesity presents an unprecedented global crisis. It is not only a cause of premature death and serious health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, but also an underlying driver of an even broader set of societal problems such as high rates of disability, inefficiency and absenteeism in the workforce, rising health care costs, stigmatization, and bullying. At TIGOR, we aspire to be a leading collaborative for global obesity research, publish research in the highest impact journals, attract new faculty, train students and fellows, and integrate civic and real-world engagement.
• Tufts Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction: Tufts Initiative on Substance Use and Addiction seeks to support programs aimed at the prevention and treatment of addiction and substance use. This initiative encourages education, community-based participatory research, and civic engagement programs aimed at the prevention and treatment of substance use and addiction. 
• Additionally, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at our School of Engineering is interested in pursuing research collaboration with faculty at Greek universities, and the research institutes associated with the universities.  Specific areas include biomaterials, biophotonics, sensors and devices, as well as data science methodologies for developing models about the dynamic behavior of chemical and pharmaceutical processes, to be used for their optimization and control.  Tufts has a number of faculty who aim to develop novel biomaterials that enable tissue regeneration and repair, as well as sensors and devices that aim to advance the number in which tissue interactions and related functional assessments occur.

Joint conferences and symposia

• Greece was the focus of the "Turn? Series" of conferences convened in 2016 by the Fletcher School's Institute for Business in a Global Context (IGBC); the conference brought public sector leaders (including the current Prime Minister), private sector representatives, think tank experts and academics from Greece and the US and Europe to examine the fundamentals, strengths and vulnerabilities of Greece from the perspectives of politics, business, investment and the economy, society and international relations.

Faculty exchange

• In the context of research collaborations and exchanges, many Tufts departments have expressed interest in hosting Greek faculty to teach and research, as well as post-doctoral scholars. Specifically, the Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC) is interested in hosting young faculty for 2-3 months, and PhD students for short periods of time (up to 6 months), especially in data science. Tufts hosts more than 200 postdocs on our Boston, Medford and Grafton campuses. We view these scholars as vital to our research and educational community and we recognize that postdocs contribute greatly to the success of Tufts faculty. We hope to develop relationships that will benefit both Greek post-docs and Tufts faculty members with cutting edge research.

Tufts has offered a range of continuing and executive education opportunities to mid-career professionals and would be interested in working with Greek universities to develop such programs in Greece.  Areas we would be interested in building on include:

• The Fletcher School offers a Leadership Program in Advanced Diplomacy for government officials, in which officials from the Hellenic Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense have participated, and recently has developed a program on “Strategic Leadership and Transformative Action” for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.
• Tufts’ School of Dental Medicine offers a range of continuing education courses and, has been a leader in dental sleep medicine in its mini-residency courses that bring world-renowned speakers and present the most up-to-date research on the topic. With the success of virtual continuing education in the wake of COVID-19, the School of Dental Medicine would be interested in expanding and internationalizing these programs online.
• Our Courses at Tufts portfolio features courses offered through nearly all the schools at Tufts and provides a wide range of opportunities for Greek learners to access world-class Tufts faculty and experience rigorous coursework. Students can explore the field of nutrition with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, or get creative with an art course through the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), just to name a few. Students may take individual courses, or, in some areas, participate in non-credit certificate programs, where courses are focused around a theme.