Refugee Logistics and Management 2025

Qualifications and terms of participation

This program was mainly designed for UT -Austin students, as part of a Maymester program of the UT students. The Maymester program aims to address technology needs of refugees in a camp of Northern Greece. The course will be taught in English.

Εϊναι ένα εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα το οποίο αρχικά σχεδιάστηκε για φοιτητές του  UT -Austin. Είναι τμήμα του Maymester (ένας μήνας φοίτησης (Μάιος) των φοιτητών του UT-Austin με εκπόνηση project στο εξωτερικό). Το Maymester πρόγραμμα στοχεύει να καλύψει ανάγκες σε τεχνολογία προσφύγων σε Δομή προσφύγων της Β. Ελλάδος. Η διδασκαλία θα γίνει στην Αγγλική γλώσσα.

Purpose of the program

This program aims to contribute towards increasing the participants' understanding  of the refugee crisis and migration management and introducing refugee logistics and management focused  in EU and especially in Greece.

Educational objectives

This program aims to contribute towards increasing the participants' understanding  of the refugee crisis and migration management and introducing refugee logistics and management focused  in EU and especially in Greece.

Contact details

Professor Maria Drakaki  

Department of Science and Technology  

School of Science and Technology 

University Center of International Programmes of Studies  

International Hellenic University  

Email: mdrakaki@ihu.gr  

Tel.: +302310807524

Instructors

Dr. Maria Drakaki is Professor of Humanitarian Engineering of the Department of Science and Technology, at the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University (IHU). She received her Ph. D. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Physics Department, an M. Sc. degree from the University of Westminster in VLSI System Design and a B. Sc. degree from the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Previously, she was Associate Professor in Flexible Manufacturing and Supply Systems in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management of IHU and a faculty member of the Department of Automation Engineering of the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki. She is the Director of the IHU Institute of Management of Migration Flows and Crises. She is the Dean of the School of Science and Technology. Prof. Drakaki is the Director of the interinstitutional Master’s degree programme in Humanitarian Logistics and Crisis Management. She is the Director of the Master’s degree programme in Environmental Management and Sustainability in the Department of Science and Technology at the University Center for International Programmes of Studies. Prof. Drakaki holds the Fulbright scholarship. She has published several papers in various leading international peer-reviewed journals and conferences as well as book chapters in international peer-reviewed engineering books. Her research interests focus on humanitarian logistics, AI methods for disaster management, supply chain management, refugee and migration management and decision support systems. She participates in European projects including on refugee education and development of relevant policies.  She is the General Chair of the International Conference on Humanitarian Crisis Management (KRISIS 2023). She was IHU delegate for the International Academic Partnership Programme between Greek and US universities (IAPP Greece 2020), organised by IIE in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Education. She has extensive higher education teaching experience in Greece and abroad including in the subjects of humanitarian logistics. She is leading the Maymester program of the UT-Austin at IHU. 

Dr. Panagiotis Tzionas is a Professor of Computer and Control Engineering in the Department of Production Engineering and Management, International Hellenic University, Greece. Prof. Panagiotis Tzionas is the Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance of the International Hellenic University. He has served as the Vice-Rector of Research of the International Hellenic University and as Rector, Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs and ViceRector of Research of the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece, in consecutive terms, since 2008. Prof. Panagiotis Tzionas holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, an M.Sc. in Digital Electronics from Kings College, University of London, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College, University of London. Additionally, he holds a B.Sc. in Teaching from Pedagogical Academy of Florina, Greece. He has more than 30 years of experience in research and development programs in Greece and in Europe in the area of Intelligent systems and industrial systems engineering, and more than 25 years of teaching experience at Universities, both at undergraduate and post graduate level. He has published more than 110 articles in international refereed journals and in proceedings of international conferences, in various disciplines including industrial systems, humanitarian logistics, disaster management and higher education policies and has more than 800 citations to his work. He is a reviewer for several scientific journals. He has served as chair and member of the organizing committees in several international conferences.

Teaching modules and duration

Humanitarian Logistics for Refugees (3 ώρες)

EU Policies on Refugee Issues (3 ώρες)

A System Dynamics Approach for the Enhancement of Refugees’ Psychological Wellbeing and Dignity: a Workshop using Causal Loop Diagrams (3 ώρες)

Detailed description of teaching modules

Humanitarian Logistics for Refugees  

Refugee logistics is an emerging scientific field, focused on humanitarian logistics for refugees. Humanitarian logistics involves the efficient and cost-effective flow and storage of goods and information from the point of origin to the destination point in order to meet the needs of the end beneficiaries.  The course introduces an overview of the global situation of disasters and crises with a  focus on their impact on displacement, focusing in Europe. The course provides an introduction to humanitarian logistics and humanitarian supply chains, including the humanitarian supply network; Sphere standards, demand and supply management and refugee camp design issues focused in Greece. The course also examines coordination and collaboration challenges of humanitarian logistics operations. 

EU Policies on Refugee Issues  

Since the arrival of massive migration flows in Europe in 2015, the EU has focused on efforts to establish humanitarian and safe European migration policies. The European Counci lis setting the strategic priorities. The EU has adopted various sets of rules and frameworks to manage legal migration flows, particularly for highly skilled workers, students and researchers, seasonal workers, and people seeking family reunification. Moreover, the EU has common rules for processing asylum requests, relocation and resettlement. A successful integration and inclusion policy is an essential part of a well-managed and effective migration and asylum policy. The EU plays a key role in supporting social policies of EU countriesmainly through funding. The common European asylum system (CEAS) sets minimum standards for the treatment of all asylum seekers and asylum applications across the EU. The migration crisis highlighted the need to reform the EU’s migration and asylum policies, providing a common European framework for migration and asylum management.

A System Dynamics Approach for the Enhancement of Refugees’ Psychological Wellbeing and Dignity: a Workshop using Causal Loop Diagrams 

This workshop examines the key mechanisms that explain the relationship between refugees’ psychological wellbeing and their integration. Based on literature studies, qualitative system dynamics models (CLD) will be constructed to articulate the key mechanisms that underlie this relationship, namely the mechanisms of (1) traumatic experiences, (2) discrimination, (3) the asylum policy, (4) stay in asylum centres, (5) social status, (6) socioeconomic integration and (7) sociocultural integration. The workshop shows the use of system dynamics as a methodology to approach the social system of refugee integration, by portraying the complex and interrelated feedback mechanisms that simultaneously affect refugees’ psychological wellbeing and their integration. A simple, yet powerful open-source tool will be used for the design and simulation of CLD’s.