Dr. Vasileios Rizos is Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Energy, Resources and Climate Change Unit. He is also Head of Sustainable Resources and Circular Economy at CEPS.
Over a career spanning more than 15 years, Vasileios has examined the mechanisms at the intersection of policies and markets that can accelerate the green transition. His expertise covers areas such as industrial sustainability, green business innovation and value chains, interactions between economic, environmental and social systems, market and regulatory barriers to the implementation of circular economy business models and resource efficiency indicators. In his current role, he has led CEPS’ work across a wide range of projects including sustainable consumption and production policies, linkages between circular economy and industrial decarbonisation, raw material supply chains, environmental policy instruments and industrial sustainability in sectors such as batteries, electronics, textiles, permanent magnets, fast-moving consumer goods and plastics.
His research work has been featured in leading academic journals, studies for the European Commission, book chapters and policy briefs. Beyond his research record, Vasileios is a frequent speaker delivering keynote speeches, lectures and seminars and providing expert commentary in the media on issues related to the green transition. He has also participated in advisory groups for research initiatives. Among such roles was the co-chairmanship of the Circular Economy Task Force of the Think20 (T20) network that supported G20 activities under the German presidency.
Prior to joining CEPS, Vasileios gained experience at both EU institutions and in European industry. He worked at the European Commission’s DG Environment on the implementation of EU waste legislation and later held the position of Project Officer at the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), focusing on producer responsibility schemes and green business models.
Vasileios holds a PhD in Social Sciences from KU Leuven. His doctoral research investigated the policy environment, barriers and enablers related to the circular economy transition in the EU. He also holds a Master’s degree in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.
