Irene Karamouzi was born in 1982 in America but acquired her BA in History from the University of Athens. She completed her PhD in International History and Politics at the European London School of Economics and since 2012 she has been teaching at the University of Yale. Her research focuses on the history of European integration and specifically on the European enlargement. The soon-to-be-published book (2014) examines the reasons and motives for the EEC to accept Greece as a full member state in 1981. It is essentially an exploration of the relations between Greece and the Europe of Nine during the Cold War. In addition, her research interests include the history of the Balkans during the 1970s and '80s. Currently, she is a member of the think tank LSE IDEAS, where she discusses the challenges Southern Europe faces, such as migratory flows and energy security.