Gabriella Etmektsoglou

As Director of NYU Berlin since 2010, Gabriella Etmektsoglou oversees its academic and administrative activities and develops relationships with local and international Universities and research institutions.

Etmektsoglou is an Associated Faculty member at the New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study and Global Affiliated Faculty at the NYU Center for European and Mediterranean Studies. She earned her PhD in European History from Emory University in 1995, specializing in modern European history, historical memory, and international relations. Her research and writing concentrate on the Holocaust in Greece, narratives of self-victimization in present-day Germany, and questions surrounding reparations and transitional justice within postwar Europe. Through her scholarly work, she examines how societies navigate the inheritances of mass violence, occupation, and historical trauma, as well as the mechanisms through which communities seek accountability, reconciliation, and legal remedies.

Etmektsoglou is the author of Axis Exploitation of Wartime Greece, 1941–1943, a monograph based on her doctoral research that analyzes the economic, social, and political impact of the Axis occupation on the Greek population during the Second World War. She recently co-edited the memoirs of Holocaust survivor Lisa Pinhas, an archival project published in three languages to reach international audiences among scholars, students, and the general public. Expanding her scholarly focus on regional history, she is currently co-editing a volume on the Mediterranean World for Routledge, which explores the interconnected socio-political, cultural, and historical dynamics of the region across different epochs.

At NYU Berlin, Etmektsoglou teaches the Internship Seminar, guiding undergraduate students as they integrate practical professional experience with academic reflection within a global city. Beyond the university classroom, she engages in practical peacebuilding and diplomatic dialogue, participating in conflict resolution projects and peace initiatives in Greece and Cyprus. Before joining the faculty at New York University, she accumulated international teaching experience, offering courses in Modern European History, Balkan History, and the History of Civil Wars at academic institutions across the United States, Europe, and Australia.

In addition to her research and teaching appointments, Etmektsoglou is a founding member of the U.S. National Peace Academy, an organization focused on the study and practice of peace, conflict transformation, and holistic education. Throughout her career, she has focused on global education initiatives and higher education policy, advocating for institutional frameworks that engage students with global issues. By integrating historical analysis, peace studies, and experiential learning, Etmektsoglou works to align university education with broader efforts aimed at supporting a more just, humane, peaceful, and ecologically sustainable world.