Research title: Crossing Frontiers: The Construction of Boundaries Between Impact Investing and Philanthropy

Year of study: 2023, Full-Time

Supervisors: Dr Arun Kumar, Dr Sam van Elk and Dr Clare J FitzGerald

Elena is pursuing her PhD at King’s College London, focusing on development finance instruments and their role in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her research examines the use of philanthropy and impact investments in development, with a particular interest in the growth of the impact investing market and how actors collaborate within this space.

Before joining King’s College London, Elena was a Visiting Associate at Cambridge Judge Business School, where she led a study on impact investing and philanthropy in Nigeria. Moreover, she has three years of experience as a project manager in more than 10 EU-funded initiatives. In this capacity, she managed a €2 million research and innovation project over two years, led various work areas and entrepreneurial initiatives, and supported multiple projects within a university alliance.

Elena holds an MPhil in Innovation, Strategy, and Organisation from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Cyprus.