Dr. Maria Maidanou is a research assistant at the Department of Biology at the Institute of Oceanography, specializing in benthic macrofauna with a deep expertise in the taxonomy of polychaetes. Her research interests include marine biodiversity (polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans), the structure and dynamics of macrobenthic assemblages, marine pollution monitoring, environmental impact assessments, marine protected zones, and the ecological effects of aquaculture. 

She completed her PhD in 2018 at the University of the Aegean, focusing on the trophodynamics of benthopelagic fish populations associated with macroalgal habitats in semi-enclosed ecosystems. Prior to this, in 2005, she received her MSc in "Management of Coastal Regions" from the same institution; her master's thesis on benthic diversity models in the saltmarshes of Kalloni, Lesvos, was part of the European program INTERREG IIIB CADSES ("TWReferenceNET"), in collaboration with the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). She holds her first degree in Technology of Ichthyology from the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Messolonghi (1995).

Throughout her career at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), she has worked continuously across its evolving structures, moving from the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (IMBC, 1995–2003) to the Institute of Marine Biology & Genetics (IMBG, 2003–2011), the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC, 2011–2026), and she is currently based at the Institute of Oceanography.

Her field work includes participating in and organizing sampling surveys on research vessels and fishing boats, where she operates sampling gears for water, sediment, zooplanktonic, and benthic samples, alongside equipment for recording environmental parameters.

She is fluent in Greek and English and has participated in numerous national and European research programmes, published papers in scientific journals, contributed to Greek and international conferences. She also serves as an active member of the educational team of HCMR.