Dr. Georgia Valaoras studied chemistry, science education and environmental management in the United States. She earned a D.Sc. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her doctoral research dealt with an analysis of airborne fine particulate matter in Athens, Greece. She then worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for five years, concentrating on risk assessment for toxic chemicals, pesticides and hazardous waste sites. In 1989, she returned to Greece to establish the national organization of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Greece), which she directed for six years. Currently she teaches courses on Sustainability and Science and Society at the University of La Verne Athens. She also consults for TRAFFIC Europe, the wildlife monitoring unit of WWF and IUCN, and works as a consultant for the European Union Environment Directorate, monitoring EU-funded environment projects in Greece.