After an extensive search, the CESSDA Main Office is happy to announce that we have found our new project manager. At the same time, we say farewell to Panagiota Starida, who now seeks out new challenges and adventure outside of CESSDA.

Maria Bashir brings experience in project, data governance, and international coordination to her role at CESSDA. Before joining the organisation, she worked at NMBU in Norway, where she drove the delivery of EU-funded collaborative projects, coordinating cross-partner workflows, timelines, reporting, and review readiness to keep complex international work aligned, auditable, and moving forward.

Her work brings together project delivery, research data governance, and digital infrastructure, with particular experience in metadata governance, persistent identifiers, FAIR-aligned practices, interoperability, and workflow design. She led the design and delivery of an end-to-end Digital Product Passport prototype, turning complex governance and implementation requirements into a practical solution aligned with European use cases.

Before moving to Norway, Maria gained broad international experience across South Africa in roles involving project coordination, communication, operational delivery, and stakeholder engagement. This gave her a strong ability to connect people, priorities, and processes while keeping work organised and goal-oriented. 

She holds a Master’s degree in Data Science, an MBA , and a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Systems. She also brings experience in AI-driven and data-driven methods, particularly in data analysis, modelling, and applying digital tools to support practical solutions and better decision-making. 

Outside work, Maria loves music and has a deep appreciation for literature, poetry, and philosophy. She enjoys cooking, especially spicy food, which she happily shares with family, friends, and colleagues.

She is excited to join CESSDA and looks forward to becoming part of the wider community.

Meanwhile, we also wish our former project manager Panagiota Starida good luck in her next adventure. Panagiota had been with CESSDA since 2021, but left CESSDA earlier this year. 

"I would like to sincerely thank everyone at CESSDA for the support, collaboration and trust during my time as Project Manager. It has been a privilege to work with such dedicated colleagues and to contribute to an organisation that plays such an important role in supporting research and data services across Europe. I am proud of what we have achieved together and grateful for the many positive experiences and connections made along the way. I wish the team continued success in the future and look forward to seeing CESSDA continue to grow and thrive," said Panagiota.