Athanasios Grammenos (Ph.D.) is an instructor and researcher of International Relations with a special focus on the role of diasporas and religion. He is a Post-Doc Researcher at Aristotle University, School of Theology. He received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia. He holds a BA in Political Science and History from Panteion University and an MA in Diplomacy from the Graduate Institute of Political and International Studies of Reading University. His main academic interests include international relations with an emphasis on ethnicity and diasporas, foreign policy and decision-making theories, democracy, and political communication. He has long experience as a senior advisor in the public and private sectors. For a decade, he directed the Greek program of the Friedrich Naumann foundation. He has published numerous articles in journals and the Press in Greek, English, and German. He is a past Library Fellow of Sacramento State University and a recipient of the NATO scholarship from the Greek Foreign Ministry. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and Op-Eds in Greece and internationally, while the Media frequently hosts his views. He is the author of the book Orthodox American; Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America in Greek American Relations (1959-1996). He has edited the book The Revolution of 1821 and Modern Greece and published the poetry collection Margaron.