Gender studies
Papadopoulou obtained her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Lancaster University in 1977. She then enrolled in the postgraduate diploma program in Management at the Mediterranean Institute of Management (1977–1978) and obtained the relevant diploma with distinction. In 1993, while following a professional career in chemistry, she passed the entrance examinations for the University of Athens to study Greek literature and attended the relevant courses for two academic years. More recently (2007–2009), she followed a post-graduate course of studies at the University of the Aegean (Greece), in Gender studies. She is fluent in Greek and English.