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October 5, 2026

Research Committee – October’s Newsletter (2026)

This issue of the newsletter was edited by Dr Claudia Franzè and revised by the research committee members and the committee chair.

We are delighted to launch the fourth research newsletter of AUB Mediterraneo. The aim is to keep everyone aware of research activities within our university, increase visibility, encourage interdisciplinary collaborations and celebrate individual and collective research achievements. We will send such newsletters when there is enough activity. 

New Fundings & Projects

LINK Stimulus Funding

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

  • Charalambous Georgios: AI-Supported Cross-Linguistic Dynamic Diagnostics of Dyscalculia and Hidden Mathematical Giftedness. AUB team: Al-Hroub Anies.
  • Fischer Leandros: The Mediterranean East as an Ecology of Maritime Commons. AUB team: Kosmatopoulos Nikolas.
  • Ilievska Ana: Convivial Machines: Automation, Translation, and the Human in Heterogeneous Societies (COMETS). AUB team: Bou Ali Nadia; Touma Jihad.
  • Riachi Roland: A Political Ecology of Wine in Lebanon and Cyprus: Terroir and the Agrarian Transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean. AUB team: Keulertz Martin; Chalak Ali; Saleh Elizabeth.

Faculty of Business

  • Zhang Yaozhi, Macca, S., Ilievska, A.: “I Miss You, So I Create You”: Responsible Marketing for Generative AI-Enabled Digital Resurrection. AUB team: Merhabi Mohamad Amir.

Faculty of Engineering

  • El Hassan Noura: Optimizing Epidemic Preparedness: A Generalized Markov Decision Process Framework. AUB team: Maddah Bacel.
  • Franzè Claudia: NeuroTwin-Sport: An Integrated Wearable and Digital Twin Framework for Early Physiological Risk Monitoring in Combat Sports. AUB team: Zahed Karim; Khraiche Massoud; Amine Ali; Alami Jawad.
  • Papallas Rafael: ARIVE Project – Autonomous Robotic Inspection and Validation for Construction Environments. AUB team: Kaddouh Bilal; Khoury Hiam; Hussein Hussein; Abou Ibrahim Hicham.
  • Zinonos Zinon: PROACT-LoRa: Proactive Climate- and Interference-Aware Control for Smart City LoRaWAN Networks. AUB team: Chehab Ali; Safa Haidar.

Publications & Conference Proceedings

  • El Hassan, N., Maddah, B. and Taleb, N.N., 2026. Hidden optionalities in American options. Risks, 14(4), p.89. Available here.
  • Graiff, L., Zhang, Y., & Happ, E. (2026). Pricing in motion: How dynamic rates shape fairness perceptions and recommendations in ski resorts. International Journal of Sport Finance. Available here.
  • Zhang, Y., Prebensen, N., & Franzè, C. (2026). Leveraging generative AI to capture theoretical nuance in service research. The Service Industries Journal. Available here.  
  • Rombolà, P., Franzè, C., Neirotti, P. (2026). A Paradox Perspective on Business Model Innovation in Sustainability-Oriented Industries: A Longitudinal Case Study in the Energy Sector. Business Strategy and the Environment, 1-20. Available here.
  • Franzè, C., Paolucci, E., Pesce, D. (2026). Governing digital collaboration: Reducing interpretive uncertainty with system integrators. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 80, 101969. Available here.
  • Pesce, D., Aimonino, G., Franzè, C. (2026). From temporary events to phygital market ecosystems: Platformization and business model innovation in trade fairs.  Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 67, 101470. Available here.
  • Holopainen, M., Franzè, C., Saunila, M. and Ukko, J. (2026). Empowering Sustainability Through Technologies: The Impact of Companies’ Digital Capabilities and Digital Ambition. Sustainable Development, 1–18. Available here.
  • Franzè, C., & El Hassan, N. (2026). Vegetal Progress and Cecilia Holistic Beauty: Optimizing Pop-Up Store Location Strategy in Cyprus (Case No. W49536). Ivey Publishing. Available here. 
  • Franzè, C. (2026). Mirai Bajo Regenerative Impact Report, Quantum Temple. Available here.
  • Pisino, E., Franzè, C., Tovar, O., Folador, E. (2026). Advanced Robotics in Industry: Technological Evolutions, Impacts, and Future Perspectives, White Paper, Competence Industry Manufacturing 4.0 (CIM4.0). Available here. 
  • Macca, L. S., Sestino, A., Bresciani, S. (2026). Digital Disruption as a Managerial Reconfiguration: Implications for Sustainable Marketing Management. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal; Available here.
  • Macca, L., & Daou, A. (2026). Learning to scale: what mentoring really does for startups. Peer-reviewed conference paper. 19th Annual EUROMED Academy of Business Conference, Paphos, Cyprus. ISSN: 2547-8516; ISBN: 978-9925-628-07-0; Available here.
  • Jani-Demetriou, B. (2026). Carnivalesque as a teacher strategy in shaping teacher-student relationships in school discourses. In S. Karpava (Ed.), New trends in second language teaching and learning (pp. 55–83). Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Available here.

Conferences and other research events

  • Creed, D., Scott, S., Karam, C., DeJordy, R., Daouk-Oyry, L., Daou, A. (2026) Fostering Hope in Extreme Contexts through an Ethic of Care. 20th Organization Studies Summer Workshop, 27-30 May, Thessaloniki, Greece.
  • Demetriou, C. A., & Loutsiou, A. (2026, September). From Psychological Flexibility to Healthier School Climates: The Mediating Role of Teacher Engagement. 40th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Paphos, Cyprus.
  • Loutsiou, A., Demetriou, C. A., Solomontos – Kountouri, O. (2026, July). Bullying Prevention as a Lever for Whole-School Wellbeing: An Eco-systemic Approach, 47th Annual Conference of the International School Psychology Association, Lyon, France.
  • Demetriou, C. A., & Loutsiou, A. (2026, July). From Values to Action: Psychological Flexibility as a Mechanism of Teacher Engagement in School Bullying Prevention. Association for Contextual Behavioral Therapy World Conference, Lyon, France. 
  • Demetriou, C. A., & Loutsiou, A. (2026, May). Raising awareness among parents on school bullying: Community actions. Oral Presentantion, 9th European Association for Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology and other Involved Professions (EFCAP) Congress, Limassol, Cyprus.
  • Loutsiou, A., Demetriou, C. A., & Solomontos-Kountouri, O. (2026, March). Transforming School Units: The Holistic Prevention Program “Standing Together Against School Bullying–ViSC” in Secondary Education. Oral Presentation, 4th Panhellenic Conference on School Psychology, Athens, Greece.
  • El Hassan, N (2026). A Generalized Decision System for Optimal Lockdown Timing during an Epidemic. IFORS 2026 Conference – Vienna, Austria, 12 – 17 July 2026
  • Franze, C., Ravetti, C., Daou, A., Kaasamany, R. (2026) Blockchain-Enabled Stakeholder Governance in Regenerative Business Models: Balancing Value Creation and Appropriation. Strategic Management Society. Hong Kong, 28-30 June.
  • Franzè, C. (2026). From Culture to Market: Entrepreneurial Design of Exchange for Intangible Resources. Paper Development Workshop for the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. 25 June.
  • Jani-Demetriou, B. & Schmidt, I. (2026). A Holistic Approach to Teaching Reading in Hungarian Heritage Language Schools. 6th International Conference “Literacies and Contemporary Society: From Skills to Practices” (6thLitConCY), Nicosia, Cyprus, 24-25 February 2026. 
  • Macca, L., & Daou, A. (2026) Learning to Scale: What Mentoring Really Does for Startups, EuroMed Academy, 23-25 September, Paphos, Cyprus
  • Macca, L., & Daou, A. (2026) Learning to Scale: What Mentoring Really Does for Startups, International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD), 1-3 July, Budapest, Hungary
  • Zhang, Y. (2026) The Bright and Dark Sides of AI-Generated Marketing Content. Conference: Frontiers In Service. Presenter. July 1, Helsinki, Finland

Editorial Appointments

  • Papallas, R. Appointed as an Associate Editor for Visual Perception and Learning at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2027.
  • Zhang, Y. Appointed as Guest Editor, Special Issue “Intelligent E-Commerce Applications, Online Consumer Behavior, and Firm Strategy,” Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research.

Awards

  • Franzè, C. & El Hassan, N. Best Case Award at the AUB-OSB Fourth Case Conference: Vegetal Progress and Cecilia Holistic Beauty: Optimizing pop-up store location strategy in Cyprus

Other Research-related Updates

  • We kindly remind all faculty members of the university to attend the Research Orientation 2026, taking place on Friday, 30 October, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in Classroom 116. Refreshments will be provided. A detailed agenda will be shared closer to the date.

As always, you can direct questions related to research matters to research@aubmed.ac.cy, to be discussed with the research committee and with the leadership.

Sincerely,
The Research Committee,
Dr. Alain Daou, Dr. Rafael Papallas, Dr. Claudia Franzè, Dr. Christodoulos Pavlou, Dr. Chara Demetriou, and Monica Tsartsali.