Speakers

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  Spyros Karakitsios Exposure Biology Scientist
  

  Spyros Karakitsios

  Exposure Biology Scientist

  Dr. Spyros Karakitsios is an Exposure Biology Scientist with extensive experience in environmental health, chemical exposure assessment, exposome research, and the management of EU-funded research projects. He studied at the University of Ioannina, graduating first in his class from the Science and Culture Selection Curriculum of the Department of Physics with a grade of 8.5/10, Excellent. He also holds an MSc in Chemical, Environmental and Computational Simulation Technology from the Department of Chemistry, and a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering of the same university.
  Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Karakitsios worked for three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection. In 2011, he returned to Greece and joined the Environmental Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he served as Lab Manager and contributed to the coordination and day-to-day management of several European research projects in environment, exposure science, and human health. He has also been actively involved in the HERACLES Research Center on the Exposome and Health.
  Since mid-2024, he has held the position of Research Scientist A’ at the National Hellenic Research Foundation, in the thematic area of Foresight on Environmental Health. His work focuses on understanding how environmental factors, particularly chemical exposures, interact with human biology and contribute to health outcomes. His research covers the full exposure continuum, from chemical production and environmental release to human uptake and biological response, integrating experimental data, sensor-based measurements, computational modelling, and exposure reconstruction approaches to support risk assessment and environmental health decision-making.
  In 2017, he received the CEFIC-LRI Long Range Research Initiative Award from the European Chemical Industry Council, in recognition of the originality and relevance of his work on chemical hazard analysis and mixture risk assessment.

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  Christos L. Chochos Senior Researcher at the Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF)
  

  Christos L. Chochos

  Senior Researcher at the Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF)

  Dr. Christos L. Chochos is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), where he leads a group focused on the design, synthesis, and nanoformulation of conjugated polymers for optoelectronic and biomedical applications. His research bridges molecular engineering and device innovation, spanning organic photovoltaics, flexible photodetectors, and targeted conjugated polymer nanoparticles for near-infrared and SWIR bioimaging.
  He is a co-founder of ACE (Advanced Contrast Enterprises), an NHRF spin-off developing next-generation imaging agents for precision oncology, and has contributed to numerous European initiatives under Horizon Europe, the EIC Pathfinder, and the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. His work has resulted in 100 peer-reviewed publications and several international patents, and is driven by a commitment to translating fundamental polymer science into tangible technologies for health, energy, and sustainability

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  Vasilis G. Gregoriou Research Director at the Institute of Chemical Biology (ICB) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) in Athens
  

  Vasilis G. Gregoriou

  Research Director at the Institute of Chemical Biology (ICB) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) in Athens

  Dr. Vasilis G. Gregoriou is Research Director at the Institute of Chemical Biology (ICB) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) in Athens, Greece, where he leads internationally recognized research on advanced organic materials, conjugated polymers, and their applications in energy, sensing, and biomedical technologies. He previously served as Director and Chairman of the Board of NHRF (2013–2022), where he led the strategic development of one of Greece’s largest public research organizations and strengthened its position within the European research ecosystem.
  An internationally established scientist, technology entrepreneur, and inventor, Dr. Gregoriou holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Duke University, USA and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University, USA. Over a 30-year career spanning leading institutions in Greece (NHRF, FORTH) and the USA (Princeton, MIT, Northeastern, Polaroid), he has authored three books, six book chapters, and more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and is co-inventor on 15 patents. His current research focuses on organic semiconductors, conjugated polymer nanomaterials, and their integration into next-generation theranostic and bioelectronic platforms.
  Dr. Gregoriou served as the National Representative of Greece to the European Research Council (ERC), the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and the Future and Emerging Technologies programme. He co-founded Advent Technologies, a US-based developer of advanced materials for energy applications that went public in NASDAQ in 2021, and was a co-founder of the Athens Comprehensive Cancer Center (ACCC) in collaboration with the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Helmholtz Association, initiatives that exemplify his sustained commitment to bridging fundamental research, clinical translation, and international scientific entrepreneurship.

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  Christos Chrysanthopoulos Special Scientist, Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation
  

  Christos Chrysanthopoulos

  Special Scientist, Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation

  Christos Chrysanthopoulos is a Special Scientist at the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (IHR/NHRF) and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Archival, Library and Information Studies at the University of West Attica. He holds PhD in Digital and Public History at the Department of History and Archaeology (formerly Department of Cultural Heritage Management and New Technologies) of the University of Patras, as a fellow of the university’s “C. Caratheodory” Basic Research Funding Programme. He is an interdisciplinary scholar trained in history, adult education, and information management in libraries, archives, and museums, with studies at the University of Thessaly, Panteion University, Hellenic Open University, and the University of West Attica. He has worked in universities and research institutes as well as in cultural, public benefit and educational organizations, assuming roles that span a broad range of activities − from research, digital curation and teaching to project/grants management and communication. His academic trajectory reflects an interdisciplinary profile that brings together historical research and archival practices with digital technologies and, more broadly, the digital humanities, while also including active participation in creative and artistic collectives.

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  Christos Riziotis Director of Research/ Full Research Professor, at the Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute (TPCI) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF)
  

  Christos Riziotis

  Director of Research/ Full Research Professor, at the Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute (TPCI) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF)

  Dr. Christos Riziotis is Director of Research/ Full Research Professor, at the Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute (TPCI) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), Athens, Greece. He is leading the research group “Applied Photonics-Materials and Devices” of the TPCI’s division of “Photonics & Quantum Technology”. Dr. Riziotis is also Honorary Fellow of the Defence and Security Research Institute (DSRI), University of Nicosia, Cyprus. He holds a Ph.D. in Photonics from the Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, UK, an M.Sc. in Electronics and Telecommunications and a Degree in Physics both from National University of Athens. His research interests cover the areas of photonic materials, integrated optics, laser processing, fibre sensors, optical communications, nanophotonics, plasmonics, and quantum photonics. His work has led to a number of successfully demonstrated applications in Structural Health Monitoring, environmental and industrial process monitoring, quantum computing, and biomedical / healthcare devices. He has participated or developed a number of collaborations and R&D projects with defence, telecommunications, and manufacturing industry (Pirelli Cavi, Southampton Photonics, Stratophase, MBDA Missile Systems, Kleemann Lifts S.A., Opticon S.A., Bayern Chemie Propellants GmbH etc). He has authored a wide thematic range of over 150 publications in Journals and international conference proceedings, holding also four (4) patents. He is reviewer in over 60 technical Journals, committee member in a number of international conferences, editorial board member and Guest editor in several Journals in sensors, materials and instrumentation. He serves also as Management Committee Member for several research academic networks like COST Actions in the areas of sensing, novel materials, manufacturing, and healthcare, while served also as an expert in the IEC Standardization Committee for Fibre Optic Sensors. He is also the Vice President of the Micro&Nano Scientific Society for microelectronics and nanotechnology.