Dr. Maria Tomai is an affiliated researcher at UNU-MERIT, where she completed the PhD Programme on Innovation, Economics, Governance and Sustainable Development.
Her doctoral research focused on sustainability transitions and circular economy pathways in the Global South, drawing on system dynamics, participatory approaches, transition theory, and empirical field research. She was supervised by Prof. Shyama Ramani and Dr. George Papachristos.
Teaching and training are also central to Maria’s academic profile. For the past three years, she has contributed to the Summer School on Digital and Green Transitions, working with professionals, policymakers, and government representatives on systems thinking, sustainability transitions, and the interplay between technological, institutional, and societal change. She has also taught in Maastricht University’s MSc in Public Policy and Human Development, contributing to courses including Public Policy, Policy and Programme Evaluation, Innovation for Sustainability, Research Design, Solution Design, and Policy Communication, and has supervised master’s theses.
Maria is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Virginia Tech’s System Performance Laboratory, where she studies safety-critical socio-technical systems, human–automation interaction, organizational learning, efficiency, and resilience. She holds an MSc in Global Innovation Economics from Maastricht University and a BSc in Business Administration from the Athens University of Economics and Business.
