Professor of Canon Law and the Teaching of the Ecumenical Councils,
Department of Social Theology and Religious Studies, School of Theology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Elena Giannakopoulou is Professor (Government Gazette 3457/Vol. C/13.7.2026) in the Department of Social Theology and Religious Studies of the School of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), holding the academic position in “Canon Law and the Teaching of the Ecumenical Councils,” within the Division of Canon Law, Byzantine Theology from the Ninth Century, Biblical Studies, and the Cultural Life of the Mediterranean.

Her academic specialization focuses on Canon and Ecclesiastical Law, Dogmatic Theology, the History and Teaching of the Ecumenical Councils, synodality, the history of ecclesiastical institutions, and the relationship between Theology and Law. Particular emphasis is placed on the study and interpretation of the primary sources of the Ecumenical Councils, including the Acts of the Councils, the Sacred Canons, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, ecclesiastical legislation, and the relevant state legislation. In recent years, her research and scholarly work has expanded to include Bioethics, Pastoral Theology, and Interreligious Comparative Law, developing an original academic dialogue between the Orthodox canonical tradition, Hindu and Islamic bioethical perspectives, and the contemporary Greek legal order.

She holds university degrees in Theology (NKUA), Law (University of Nicosia), and German Language and Literature (NKUA), as well as a Master's Degree and a Ph.D. in Canon Law. She was awarded scholarships by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) and the international Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF). She has an excellent command of both English and German.

She has developed a substantial international academic profile through participation in international and national conferences, scientific workshops, and research projects, as well as through publications in Greek, English, and German. She is a member of several national and international scholarly associations, including the Gesellschaft für das Recht der Ostkirchen (Society for the Law of the Eastern Churches), the Hellenic Society for Legal History, the Family Law Society, the International Association of Orthodox Dogmatic Theologians, the Ecumenical Patristic Society, and is a founding member of the Society of Ecclesiastical and Canon Law.

Within her teaching activity, she has taught more than nineteen undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including: Canon Law (General and Special Part), Sources of Canon Law, Greek Ecclesiastical Law, Contemporary Issues in Ecclesiastical Law, Canon Law and the Law of Religious Communities, Ecclesiastical Family Law and Gender Equality, Special Topics in Family Law and Gender Equality, Dogmatic Theology, Methodology of Canon Law, Functioning of the Synodal System, Synodality in the Twenty-First Century, History, Theory and Contemporary Issues of the Synodal Institution, Introduction to the Ecumenical Councils, Historical Development of the Synodal Institution, The First Ecumenical Council: Sources and History, Methodology of Scientific Research and Academic Writing, as well as Criminology and Victimology from a Theological Perspective.

Her teaching incorporates contemporary pedagogical approaches, new technologies, and audiovisual material, while encouraging active student participation through dialogue and the cultivation of critical thinking. She provides educational material and lecture summaries in English for international and incoming Erasmus students and organizes educational visits to ecclesiastical and academic institutions, including the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, libraries, and monasteries, thus linking academic theory with ecclesiastical practice.

She has supervised and participated in the evaluation of a considerable number of postgraduate dissertations and doctoral theses and has served as a member of three-member advisory and examination committees both at NKUA and at other universities, including the Faculty of Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Department of Public Administration of Panteion University.

She has served as Director of the Division of Canon Law for two consecutive terms (2023–2025 and 2025–2027). In 2026, she was unanimously appointed by the Department of Social Theology and Religious Studies as Alumni Network Coordinator, with responsibility for developing, coordinating, and strengthening the Department's relations with its graduates, promoting networking and collaborative initiatives, and supporting activities that contribute to maintaining an active alumni community. During the same year, following the prescribed electoral procedure and by unanimous decision of the Dean's Office of the School of Theology, she was appointed Alternate Member of the Centre for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (KEDIVIM) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Since 2020, she has served as an Alternate Member of the Synodal Committee on Monastic Life of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. Her appointment has been renewed twice consecutively, reflecting the confidence placed in her by the supreme ecclesiastical authority of the Church of Greece, namely the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy. At the same time, she actively participates in parish life as a member of the Parish Charity Fund of the Church of Saint Marina in Ano Ilisia, under the Holy Archdiocese of Athens.

She collaborates with the Pastoral Training Foundation of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and voluntarily (without remuneration) teaches, through distance learning, the course "Ecclesiastical and Canon Law" at the Schools of Apprenticeship for Candidate Clergy (SMYK) of Vella of Ioannina of the Church of Greece and of the Semi-Autonomous Church of Crete. For the purposes of this teaching, she prepared a dedicated textbook specifically adapted to the educational needs of clergy candidates.

In parallel, she maintains a consistent presence in public theological discourse through appearances on public television and public radio, online broadcasts, and the Radio Stations of the Church of Greece and the Holy Archdiocese of the Church of Crete, presenting topics related to Canon and Ecclesiastical Law, the Ecumenical Councils, ecclesiastical institutions, and bioethics.

Her scholarly, teaching, and administrative work is distinguished by the creative integration of Theology, Law, and History, a rigorous source-based research methodology, and a continuous commitment to connecting academic scholarship with the life of the Church and the contemporary challenges of society.