Research
I am devoted to interdisciplinary research that promotes social justice and the wellbeing among people of all ages. My research focuses on improving our understanding of social factors influencing older persons’ cognitive and mental health, the effective administration of health and social care, and the continuous development of professional in these sectors. I have also research on the psychosocial development of high-performance athletes and doping behaviour.
Teaching
I have taught in psychology, sociology, ageing studies, and behavioural sciences since 2014. I teach in KAU scientific methods and statistical analysis in the BSc and MSc level.
I use the Socratic approach in my teaching that is based on discussions and interaction with students, while I am trying actively to limit my monologues in the classroom. I believe on the value of bi-directional feedback between lecturers and students.
Collaboration
2024 - ongoing. Implementing Effective Reskilling and Upskilling Learning Programs for Older Adults, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). In this project, we examine the Swedish model of upskilling and reskilling workers in pre-retirement (i.e., 50-69) and post-retirement age (69+).
My role: Indendent expert and researcher for Sweden.
2022 - ongoing. The St@ndByMe project. The project aims to support practitioners in the field of adult education (i.e., teaching older persons the use of ICTs), as well as health and social care (including long-term care) in professionalizing their work according to the European human rights framework for digital inclusion in older age. The project is a collaboration of six institutions from six European countries (Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Estonia, Greece).
My role: Principal investigator
2019 - 2022: The GenPath project. This project analysed the origin of gender differences in the prevalence and generation of states of exclusion from social relations (ESR) across European countries, and consequences of these states for health and wellbeing. The project was a collaboration of seven institutions from seven European countries (Sweden, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Israel).
My role: Research assistant
2017 - 2019: The SafeYou project. The aim of this project was to better understand the reasons why young exercisers and athletes engage in doping practices, suggest comprehensive strategies to prevent doping use in competitive and recreational sports, and design effective anti-doping interventions aiming to protect young athletes and exercisers from doping use. It was a collaboration between five institutions from five European countries (Greece, UK, Italy, Germany, Cyprus).
My role: Project assistant
2018 - 2018. Access to the digital world. With the biggest telecommunication company in Greece funding this project, and under the motto "Become digital", the program ran for six years, and 11.000 older people were trained to use new technologies (use the tablet, navigate the internet, enter the "world" of social media, and use applications to make their everyday life easier). In 2018, I organized these training cycles in my hometown Thessaloniki, with the collaboration of the municipality and the region.
My role: Local organizer
6. 2017-2019: The CoachMade project. The project was a coach-centred intervention that promotes an anti-doping environment by focusing on how coaches communicate with their athletes in general, and about doping. The project included three institutions from Greece, UK, and Australia.
My role: Research assistant
2015-2017: The HelpCare project. The aim of the project was to develop and transfer innovative practices in education for the qualification and professionalization of health and social care workers that can be adapted and adopted across the EU28 to make better use of the existing workforce through training. The project included five institutions from four European countries (Greece, the UK, Bulgaria, Italy).
My role: Co-principal investigator
2013-2015: The ASCE project. The aim of this project was to support civil society organizations and older citizens to participate in and influence the EU political agenda and guide them to become key actors in decision-making at local, national and EU levels. The project included ten institutions from nine European countries.
My role: Project assistant
2013-2015: The Knowledge Volunteers. This project brought together young students and older individuals, where the former served as tutors of basic computer skills to the latter. Over 100 older persons benefited from the project. Through semi-structured lectures, older persons learned the basic operation of computers, including word processing, navigate in internet, email, social media, and file management. The programme continued for another year as an independent project of mine under the title “50+ Technology”, listed as a finalist in the Destination Change: New solutions for Greece competition.
My role: Project assistant
Bio
During my years as a PhD student, I taught at the undergraduate level at the Universoty of Sheffield, International Faculty (TUoS) Greece. Simultaneously, I have been engaged in several research projects not related to my PhD project. In 2013-2015, I was a project assistant in the Active Senior Citizens in Europe project, but I also participated in the Knowledge Volunteers project, where I was coordinating the local implementation of the project on behalf of the NGO 50plus Hellas. In 2015-2017, I worked as a research assistant for the South-East European Research Centre and for the purposes of the HelpCare project. In 2017-2019, I was research assistant for the Department of Sport Science, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, participating in the SafeYou and the CoachMade projects. Having finished my PhD studies in 2018, I became Director of Postgraduate Studies in Neuropsychology at TUoS. In 2019, I accepted a post-doc fellowship at Linköping University, Sweden, in the Division of Ageing and Social Change (ASC), Institute of Culture and Society (IKOS), where I was promoted to assistant professor (tenure-track) in 2022. In 2024 I was promoted to senior lecturer at Karlstad University in the Department of Social and Psychological Studies.
Related info
Check my current project: St@ndbyMe, https://www.standbymelearning.eu/
Follow the project on social media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/standbymelearning/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/standbymelearning/
Selected publications
Ågren, A., & Pavlidis, G. (2023). Tabu att tala om ensamhet. Äldre i Centrum, 74-76, https://etidning.aldreicentrum.se/p/aldre-i-centrum/2023-09-13/r/38/74-75/5163/1065746
Kafková, M. P., Fučík, P., Aartsen, M., Hansen, T., Pavlidis, G., Katz, R., ... & Vidovićová, L. (2023). Is There an Association Between Childhood Conditions and Exclusion from Social Relations in Later Life?. Polish Sociological Review, 223(3), 369-394, https://doi.org/10.26412/psr223.05
Ågren, A., & Pavlidis, G. (2023). Sense-making of loneliness and exclusion from social relations among older adults in Sweden. The Gerontologist, 63(7), 1140-1148, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad005
Pavlidis, G., Motel-Klingebiel, A., & Aartsen, M. (2022). Exclusion from social relations in later life: on the gendered associations of social networks with mental wellbeing. Aging & Mental Health, 27(7), 1313-1321, https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2116397
Pavlidis, G., Hansen, T., Motel-Klingebiel, A., & Aartsen, M. (2022). Network and solitude satisfaction as modifiers of disadvantages in the quality of life of older persons who are challenged by exclusion from social relations: a gender stratified analysis. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 17, 2859-2875, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-022-10045-z
Ragga, M., Tsoumaki, A., & Pavlidis, G. (2022). Silver Tourism in Greece. Available at: https://www.50plus.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Summary-Research-Study-SilverGuide-for-Silver-Tourism-2022.pdf
Hansen, T., Kafková, M. P., Katz, R., Lowenstein, A., Naim, S., Pavlidis, G., et al. (2021). Exclusion from Social Relations in Later Life: Micro-and Macro-Level Patterns and Correlations in a European Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12418, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312418
Pavlidis, G., Hatzifilalithis, S., Zawaher, M.N., Papaioannou, G., Giagkousiklidou, E., & Vivas, A. (2021). The Cultural Adaptation of the Everyday Problems Test—Greek Version: An Instrument to Examine Everyday Functioning. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 7, 1-12, doi: 10.1177/23337214211027683.
Ntoumanis, N., Quested, E., Patterson, L., Kaffe, S., Backhouse, S., Pavlidis, G., et al. (2021). An intervention to optimise coach-created motivational climates and reduce athlete willingness to dope (CoachMADE): a three-country cluster randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55, 213-219, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101963.
Pavlidis, G., Downs, C., Kalinowski, T. B., Swiatek‐Barylska, I., Lazuras, L., Ypsilanti, A., & Tsatali, M. (2020). A survey on the training needs of caregivers in five European countries. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(2), 385-398, https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12940.
Pavlidis, G. (2018). Social and Behavioural Factors Associated with Cognitive and Functional Performance in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield. Available at: https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21290/
Vivas, A.B., Hatzifilalithis, S., Chrysochoou, E., & Pavlidis, G. (2017). On-line social networking and cognitive performance in older adults: A Greek-Canadian cross-cultural study. Hellenic Psychological Society, 2 (21), 43-53.
Pavlidis, G. & Gargalianos, D. (2014). Structural support of high-performance athletes’ education supporting dual careers in Greece. Strategies: Strategies: Journal for Physical and Sport Educators, 27 (1), 42-45, https://doi.org/10.1080/08924562.2014.863691
Pavlidis, G & Gargalianos, D. (2014). High Performance Athletes' education: Value, challenges and opportunities. Journal of Physical Education & Sport, 14(2), 293-300, doi: 10.7752/jpes.2014.02044.
Other
In the media
Aftonbladet (2023). Viss typ av ensamhet kan förkorta ditt liv. Online artikel, https://www.aftonbladet.se/halsa/a/O8KkOl/sa-ofta-ska-du-halsa-pa-mormor-ger-langre-liv
Sveriges Radio (2023). George Pavlidis lämnade proffsbasketen för att bli äldreforskare. Podacts, https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/george-pavlidis-lamnade-proffsbasketen-for-att-bli-aldreforskare-repris
Sveriges Radio (2023). Stigmatisering av ensamhet försvårar äldreforskning. Radio, https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/stigmatisering-av-ensamhet-forsvarar-aldrefo
Äldre i Centrum (2022). Ensam är ofta stark. Online & Print artikel, https://aldreicentrum.se/nyheter/ensam-ar-ofta-stark/.
Athlete stories (2020). Two careers, one life. Web article, https://athletestories.gr/dio-karieres-mia-zoi/
BasketBook (2020). Psychosocial development of professional athletes. Webcast. https://www.facebook.com/theBasketbook/videos/584883985796356/
TV100 (2018). Access to the Digital World. TV appearance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW42OEnh0AI.
ET3 (2018). The population in Greece is ageing. TV appearance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pupd518c-Fg&t=89s
Macedonia TV (2012). The Knowledge Volunteers. TV appearance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBfmff0IH3Q