Dr. Elena Lazarou is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Transatlantic Periscope project at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy ( ELIAMEP), an Associate Fellow on the 'US and Americas' programme at Chatham House and a Senior Analyst on geopolitics, defence and transatlantic relations at the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), the in house think tank of the European Parliament. Between 2020 and 2024 she was the head of the External Policies unit at EPRS. Prior to joining EPRS, she headed the Center for International Relations of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), Brazil (2012-2014) and the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory of the Hellenic Center for European Studies (2009-2010) and was an Assistant Professor of International Relations and European Studies at FGV. She received a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in 2008 and subsequently held postdoctoral research positions at the University of Cambridge, the University of Sheffield and the London School of Economics (LSE), as well as various visiting positions in think tanks and universities in Europe and the United States. She has published edited volumes, articles and policy briefs in English, Portuguese and Greek and is the editor of the EPRS annual EU Peace and Security Outlook. Since 2022 Dr. Lazarou represents EPRS in the European Parliament's steering group for support to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine.