Prof. Dr. Elpiniki I. Papageorgiou is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Energy Systems Department, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, and Director of the ACTA Lab (acta.energy.uth.gr). Internationally recognized as the leading author worldwide in Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and ranked among the World’s Top 2% of Scientists by Stanford University for six consecutive years (2020–2025) in the field of Artificial Intelligence, she has extensive expertise in developing and applying advanced AI and ML models, including explainable AI for decision support, prediction, scenario analysis, and data mining across various scientific domains. With over 20 years of active involvement in European and national R&D projects as project manager, technical manager, and senior researcher, she has substantial experience in designing AI/XAI models, developing intelligent decision support systems, and fostering strong links between academia, research, and industry. Author of more than 320 publications in peer-reviewed journals and, conferences, with over 13,500 citations (h-index = 62, Google Scholar), she demonstrates high impact and leadership in the international AI research community. Her work particularly advances innovative AI methodologies and promotes their effective integration into industry, healthcare, engineering, and energy systems.