Gizeli Electra

Dr. Gizeli Electra is a Full Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Crete, and Research Professor & Deputy Director at IMBB-FORTH. Her career includes roles such as Visiting Professor at Max Planck Institute and Adjunct Professor at Marquette University. She holds a BSc in Chemistry from Athens University, MSc from University College London, and PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on biosensors, molecular diagnostics, and biomedical engineering, with over 90 publications and 5 patents. Notable contributions include pioneering acoustic biosensor technologies and founding two diagnostic platform spin-offs.

Awards and Recognition: Elected EMBO Member (2023), Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow (2016), Nokia Open Innovation Challenge finalist (2015). She coordinates large-scale projects, securing €24M in funding (€8.8M for her lab), and leads mentoring initiatives for early-career researchers. Her work emphasizes translating lab innovations into real-world healthcare solutions, including collaborations in Africa.

Grants & Leadership: Led 42 projects (33 as coordinator), including HFSP collaborations. Her lab’s studies in hospitals across Europe and Africa focus on infectious disease diagnostics. Revenue from IP exploitation supports African diagnostics initiatives. She advises global health strategies through EDCTP3 and serves on funding review boards for Wellcome Trust, EU, and HFSP.

Education & Mentorship: Trained 22 postdocs, 15 PhD students, and over 50 MSc/undergraduate students. Established IMBB Mentoring Scheme to guide researchers’ career paths. Active in science communication, including open science events and public outreach.