Ilias Papailias

Ilias Papailias, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Southern Methodist University's Lyle School of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and has conducted postdoctoral research at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at NCSR 'Demokritos.'

Education:

• Ph.D.: Materials Science and Engineering, NTUA
• M.Sc.: Chemical Engineering, NTUA
• Postdoctoral Research: University of Illinois at Chicago (Mechanical Engineering)
• Postdoctoral Research: NCSR 'Demokritos' (Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology)

Research Interests: Dr. Papailias focuses on energy storage systems (e.g., Li-CO₂ and Li-O₂ batteries), photocatalytic air and water purification, CO₂ conversion via electrocatalysis and metallothermic methods, and advanced functional nanomaterials. His work emphasizes sustainability, renewable energy applications, and environmental remediation. He has secured over $2.8M in grants for projects involving solid-state batteries, electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction, and photocatalytic coatings.

Publications Trends: His recent work highlights advancements in Li-CO₂ battery stability, photocatalytic CO₂-to-fuel conversion, and novel g-C₃N₄-based nanomaterials. These studies often integrate experimental and computational methods to optimize material performance for real-world applications.

Awards and Honors:

• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Global Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022)
• Iakovos Giourounlian Prize for Best Industrial Thesis (2020)
• Virginia Manasaki Award for Environmental/Energy Research (2019)
• Thomaidion Award for Top Publications (2017, 2019, 2020)

Advising and Grants: Dr. Papailias has secured multi-million-dollar grants for collaborative projects and actively contributes to research teams developing next-generation energy storage and environmental technologies. His work bridges fundamental materials science with industrial applications.

Labs and Teams: His research is conducted in SMU's Lyle School labs and international collaborations, focusing on nanomaterial synthesis, electrochemical characterization, and environmental catalysis.