Dr. Nikolaos Antonakakis is a Professor of Economics at the University of Nicosia, Athens Campus. He previously served as Professor and Head of the Department of Business and Management at Webster Vienna Private University. His research spans international macroeconomics, European integration, and health, energy, and tourism economics, with a strong focus on applied time-series econometrics. He has been repeatedly ranked among the world’s leading economists, including the Top 2% Scientists lists (2020–2024) and recognition as the 1st best economist in Cyprus based on publication quality over the last decade. In 2016, Thomson Reuters identified him among the top 1% most-cited researchers globally. His awards include the Tom Fetherstone Prize for best paper in the International Review of Financial Analysis, the Neil Rackham Research Dissemination Award from the University of Portsmouth, multiple Top-Journal-Article Awards, and the 2021 Best Paper Award from the Journal of Risk and Financial Management. With more than 60 publications in international journals, his work has attracted extensive media attention from outlets such as Forbes, The Guardian, CNBC, Newsweek, and Russia Today.