About the Prize
The seventh recipient of the Robert R. Coly Prize is Nikolaos Koumartzis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Nikolaos Koumartzis lives in Thessaloniki, Greece, and conducts a PhD research at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.) regarding the emerging worldwide phenomenon of online censorship. He has a bachelor in Computer Sciences from the same university and a master in Publishing from London College of Communications (University of the Arts London).
He is a member of British Society for Psychical Research since 2006, a co-ordinator of the volunteer online-based Hellenic Society of Metaphysics and co-founder of “World of Parapsychology” (no longer available online, that was an online digital hub for everyone engaged in parapsychology and media interested in scientific research on the field.
His interest in scientific research of parapsychological phenomena grew thanks to Dr. Aggelos Tanagras work (founder and only president of Greek Society of Psychical Research, active during the first half of 20th century), for whom he has already published a historical book titled Psychical Research in Greece. He is a quite known author and columnist in Greece, writing related columns in magazines for several years and contributing chapters in many books (edited collections) in Greek.
He strongly believes that the field of parapsychology has many highly capable researchers who have already produced valuable and revolutionary, for current scientific status quo, data that remains quite unknown to the general public. Therefore he focuses on introducing latest web technologies to the field with the aim of overcoming long-lasting important barriers. He believes that advanced open-source technologies can make the difference and insert new rules of connectivity, research collaboration and public awareness to the field.
His vision is to see more computer scientists engaged in the field who will help it become what he calls “Parapsychology 2.0” in order to eventually exploit all the research legacy already there.
To read Mr. Koumartzis’ essay, “Parapsychology 2.0 Unbelievable Opportunities, Innumerable Possibilities” click on the “Essay” button above.