Christou Antonios

Χρήστου Αντώνιος

Christou Antonios

Academic rank: Assistant Professor

Subject: Child Neurocognitive Development

Email:  antchristou@uth.gr

Office: Papastratos Complex, Building Rosa Imbrioti, 2nd floor, No 12B

Telephone: (+30) 24210-74885

Office hours:  Thursday 12-3pm

Curriculum vitae

Short Curriculum Vitae

Antonios I. Christou studied Psychology at the University of Ioannina and, with a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), pursued postgraduate studies in Special Education and completed his doctoral dissertation in Child Neurocognitive Development at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom). Following the completion of his PhD, he undertook two cycles of postdoctoral research in the United Kingdom and Cyprus.

He has taught at distinguished universities abroad as a permanent and visiting faculty member, including the University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, the Open University, and the University of Cyprus. Since 2022, he has been serving at the University of Thessaly, where he combines teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. He is Director of Program Development of the joint Master’s program “Joint Executive Masters in Global Leadership in Disability and Systems Transformation” in collaboration with Georgetown University (USA). His academic career has been supported by research funding exceeding €2 million as principal investigator and project team member, from organizations such as the Wellcome Trust (UK), the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

His work has been recognized with international distinctions, including his selection as an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Fellow in the United States, by invitation of the U.S. Department of State, the Study UK Alumni Award of the British Council, and the Teaching Excellence Award from the Open University of Cyprus. He has been invited to give talks at international conferences and educational events in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

He has published numerous scientific papers, presented at international conferences and published in leading journals of the American Psychological Association (APA), NatureFrontiers, and with Cambridge University Press.

Research interests

  • Early neurocognitive mechanisms of Sensitivity: neurophysiological, behavioral, and genetic processes of stimulus processing and their contribution to later cognitive and emotional development
  • Neurocognitive mechanisms of Emotional Development: intergenerational mechanisms of emotional development during childhood
  • Gene–Environment interactions and resilience: mechanisms of emotional adaptation and implications for differentiated instruction

Courses at the Department of Special Education

  • Basic Principles of Child Neuropsychology
  • Deviations in Neurocognitive Development
  • Cognitive Functions in Childhood and Adolescence
  • Neuropsychological Assessment of the Child

Scientific papers - Publications

Recent publications

Christou, A.I., Fanti, K., Mavrommatis, I., Soursou, G. (2026). Child-parent covariation on the processing of angry facial stimuli predicts children’s reactive aggression. Psychology of Violence. APA. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000659

Christou, A.I., Fanti, K., Mavrommatis, I., Soursou, G. (2025). Exploring emotional face processing in children with CU traits using eye-tracking technology: Insights into the role of sex depicted in emotional faces. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 21(3), 242-252. https://doi.org/10.5709/acp-0463-8  

Christou, A.I., Fanti, K., Mavrommatis, I., Soursou, G. (2025). Parent-Child Eye Gaze Congruency to Emotional Expressions Mediated by Child Aesthetic Sensitivity. Children, 12, 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12070839 

Christou, A.I., Fanti, K., Mavrommatis, I., Soursou, G., et al., (2025). Social Affiliation and Attention to Angry Faces in Children: Evidence for the Contributing Role of Parental Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Children, 12(4), 524. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040524 

Christou, A.I., Fanti, K., Mavrommatis, I., Soursou, G., & Eliadi, E. (2024). Parental Sensory Processing Sensitivity predicts children’s visual scanning pattern of emotional faces. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 46, 932–942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-024-10173-w 

Scroll to Top