Sakis joined the University of Bologna as a Professor (full time) in October 2022.
Sakis' multilingual and transcultural academic career as a lecturer started in Spain at the University of Granada (were he obtained his PhD from in 2003) and continued in France at the University of Montpellier were he taught for 4 years until 2009 when he moved to the UK.
Sakis was employed in the UK as a Reader and Professor first at the University of Kent and later on at the University of Bournemouth. In both Universities he was honoured to have a wide rage of leadership roles such as being Head of School, Deputy Head of Department, Director of Graduate and Undergraduate studies and he also founded two research groups, focusing on the social Legacies of Sport Mega Events.
In another life, Sakis has been an elite fencing athlete competing for the national team of Greece in European and World Championships. Once his athletic career came to an end he obtained several scholarships and research funding grants (Marie Curie Intra-European, IKY- State Scholarships Foundation, Real Madrid foundation, Newton Fund, Advanced grants IOC, PRIN EU) that allowed him to build a strong European and international academic background which has been enriched by studies and professional experience in different countries (Greece, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Brazil).
Prof. Pappous has published widely on the topic of social legacies of Sport Mega Events. His academic publications are backed up from a sound professional, consulting and empirical experience. Sakis was employed as a Supervisor for the Organising Committee of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games and he also has been leading research projects related to London 2012, Rio 2016, Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 and is currently scientific advisor for Paris 2024. Sakis is passionate when it comes to research that has a societal impact. On the last 12 years Sakis has led two successful REF impact case studies, in the UK, the first one focusing on the Sport Participation Legacies of London 2012 and the last one was centered around the media legacies of the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Dr. Pappous has lead the authorship of a media guide that has been translated in Portuguese (Rio 2016) and Japanese (Tokyo 2020) with the aim of promoting an inclusive portrayal of disability.
His work has continually received institutional support from important external stakeholders such as the International Paralympic Committee, the French Olympic Academy, Real Madrid, Horizon Europe among others and is a strong example of the concept of academic ‘fusion’ which envisages research and external engagement with the aim of promoting social change. Currently Sakis is leading two research projects focusing on Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and the other one on the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
As an academic leader, Sakis embraces empathy and perspective taking. In his free time he enjoys practising mindfulness and swimming and he is always up for stroll along the beach in Rimini.
