Loukas G Astrakas

Loukas G. Astrakas is Professor of Medical Physics at the University of Ioannina, School of Medicine, Greece, where he also serves as Director of the Medical Physics Laboratory at the University Hospital of Ioannina. After obtaining a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Athens (1989), he earned a Ph.D. in Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy from the Technical University of Athens (1999), followed by an M.Sc. in Medical Physics from the University of Patras (2014). His post-doctoral training took him to the National Centre of Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Harvard University, the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. He was appointed Lecturer (2009), then Assistant Professor (2013), Associate Professor (2020) and finally full Professor (2024) at the University of Ioannina.

Research Focus: Professor Astrakas’ work centres on the development and clinical translation of advanced magnetic-resonance techniques—particularly magnetic-resonance spectroscopy (MRS), functional MRI (fMRI), and quantitative MRI—for non-invasive characterisation of paediatric brain tumours, epilepsy, neuro-degenerative diseases, testicular pathologies and rheumatological disorders. His research bridges fundamental physics, biomedical engineering and clinical radiology, with emphasis on metabolic imaging, voxel-based morphometry and machine-learning-assisted analysis.

Publications & Impact: His 105+ peer-reviewed publications (2001–2025) map an evolving trajectory from methodological innovation in MRS and fMRI to large-scale clinical validation studies. Recurring themes include paediatric neuroradiology, neuro-oncology, and integration of imaging biomarkers with genomic data to enable precision medicine.

Awards & Funding:

• Marie Curie Fellowship, European Commission (2004–2007)

Leadership & Service:

• Director, Medical Physics Laboratory, University Hospital of Ioannina (2019–present)
• Member, NMR Surgical Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital (2001–present)

Professor Astrakas teaches core and advanced courses in medical physics, supervises graduate research, and maintains active collaborations with Harvard Medical School, MGH, and European imaging networks, driving forward next-generation MR technologies for routine clinical care.