George Vouros is a Professor in the Department of Digital Systems at the University of Piraeus, Greece. He is the head of the AI Lab (http://ai-group.ds.unipi.gr/ai-group/) and director of the MSc in Artificial Intelligence program in collaboration with the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications at NCSR Demokritos. He completed his BSc in Mathematics (1986) and PhD in Artificial Intelligence (1992) at the University of Athens. His research focuses on Expert Systems, Knowledge Management, Multi-Agent Systems, Reinforcement Learning, and Mobility Analytics. He has served as program chair and committee member for major conferences (AAMAS, AAAI, IJCAI) and editorial roles in journals like Discover Artificial Intelligence (Springer Nature) and Information (MDPI). He has supervised 13 PhD students and currently oversees 4. His work spans EU-funded projects and national initiatives, emphasizing scalable mobility analytics, air traffic management automation, and ontology engineering. He is also President of the Hellenic A.I. Society and actively promotes interdisciplinary applications of AI in healthcare, transportation, and environmental monitoring. Recent research highlights include deep reinforcement learning for tactical air traffic conflict resolution, LLM-integrated ontology engineering, and multimodal generative adversarial imitation learning for flight trajectory modeling. His work bridges theoretical advancements with real-world applications in critical infrastructure systems.
Stavros Demetriadis is a Full Professor at the School of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. His research focuses on Learning Technologies, including Conversational Agents in Education, Learning Analytics, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), Computational Thinking, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He has led EU-funded projects like colMOOC and developed educational tools such as 'pytolearn' for Python instruction and 'Cubes Coding' (winner of Open Education Challenge 2014 and NUMA Competition 2014). He has supervised 5 completed PhD theses, 4 ongoing PhDs, and over 60 Master’s theses. Academic Appointments: Full Professor (2020–present), Associate Professor (2015–2020), Assistant Professor (2012–2015), Lecturer (2002–2008), Informatics Teacher (1989–2002) Education: PhD in Multimedia Technology in Education (2000), MSc in Electronic Physics (1986), BSc in Physics (1983) His work bridges AI and education, with over 161 publications and an h-index of 27. Recent research explores ChatGPT integration, ethics in Learning Analytics, and AI-driven assessment tools. He has delivered invited talks at institutions like the University of Valladolid (2024) and coordinates the 'Teachers' Fast-paced Distance Training on Tele-education' project. Awards include three international best paper awards and recognition for his 'Cubes Coding' project. Key Research Contributions: Developed frameworks for Conversational Agents in CSCL Innovated Computational Thinking pedagogy through robotics Explored ethics and culture in Learning Analytics adoption Created Python-based MOOCs for non-programmers He has taught courses like Human-Computer Interaction and Learning Analytics, and led short programs on Conversational AI. His collaborations span institutions in Spain, Denmark, and Greece. ORCID: 0000-0002-1561-6372; Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, and Scopus profiles list his extensive output.
Professor Dollas Apostolos serves as a Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Crete (TUC), where he has held leadership roles such as Department Chairman. He directs the Microprocessor and Hardware Laboratory, focusing on reconfigurable computing, embedded systems, and high-performance digital systems. His work emphasizes rapid prototyping and real-world implementation of computational solutions. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1987) M.Sc., Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1984) B.Sc., Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1982) Research Interests: Reconfigurable computing architectures FPGA-based acceleration for bioinformatics and genomics Embedded systems and real-time processing Hardware-software co-design for high-performance computing His research bridges theoretical innovation with practical applications, such as FPGA implementations for genome assembly and aquaculture monitoring systems. Publications: Recent work highlights FPGA-based solutions for bioinformatics (e.g., genome assembly acceleration), real-time embedded systems (e.g., fish cage net monitoring), and scalable data processing frameworks. His articles often explore the intersection of FPGA technology with computational biology, embedded vision, and distributed systems. Awards and Affiliations: Senior Member, IEEE and IEEE Computer Society Recipient of IEEE Computer Society Golden Core and Meritorious Service Awards Twice honored with the University of Illinois Teaching Excellence Award He is a co-founder of IEEE conferences like FCCM and RSP, reflecting his leadership in the reconfigurable computing community. Teaching and Labs: Teaches courses on computer architecture, logic design, and VLSI design. The Microprocessor and Hardware Lab under his direction drives advancements in FPGA-based systems, with projects ranging from bioinformatics hardware accelerators to embedded vision systems.
Kostas Magoutis is Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Crete and collaborating researcher with FORTH-ICS. His research focuses on distributed systems, scalable data processing, IoT, and cloud computing, with projects including GreenInCities for urban regeneration and STREAMSTORE for stateful stream processing systems. Research interests include: Distributed computer systems architecture Elastic stream processing platforms Quantum-enhanced computing applications Multi-cloud application lifecycle management Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on federated data systems, quantum computing applications, and IoT-enhanced infrastructure, with consistent output in high-impact conferences and journals. Awards and distinctions: Multiple best paper awards from USENIX conferences Grand Challenge Audience Award at DEBS 2022 Marie Curie Fellowship and IBM Research awards Advises over 20 PhD and MSc students in distributed systems research. Leads multiple EU-funded projects and serves on program committees for top conferences including SOSP, EuroSys, and IEEE BigData. Directs research groups in distributed systems and cloud computing at FORTH-ICS.
Manolis Koubarakis is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He is affiliated with the Archimedes Unit at Athena Research Center and is a member of ELLIS. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, particularly in Linked Geospatial Data, Earth Observation, and Knowledge Graphs. Education: PhD in Computer Science (National Technical University of Athens), M.Sc. in Computer Science (University of Toronto), and B.Sc. in Mathematics (University of Crete). Research Interests: His work spans AI applications in geospatial data, entity resolution, ontology-based data access (OBDA), and semantic web technologies. He leads projects like ExtremeEarth (AI for Copernicus data) and LEO (linked Earth Observation data). Awards: 2015: Fellow of the European Association of Artificial Intelligence (EurAI) 2022: Best Demo Award at CIKM for Copernicus App Lab Advising & Grants: Supervises students in AI and data science. Collaborates on EU-funded projects like BigDataEurope and participates in initiatives like the Standing Scientific Committee for AI in Greece's justice system. Labs & Teams: Heads the AI Lab (ai.di.uoa.gr) and contributes to the MaDgIK group, focusing on data and knowledge management systems.
Sotirios K. Goudos is a Professor at the Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece, and Director of the ELEDIA@AUTH lab within the ELEDIA Research Center Network. His research focuses on antenna design, evolutionary algorithms, wireless communications, machine learning, and IoT applications. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics (1991), M.Sc. in Electronics (1994), Ph.D. in Physics (2001), and additional qualifications in Information Systems and Electrical Engineering. Prof. Goudos is a Senior Member of IEEE and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Telecom open access journal (MDPI) and Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Access, and IEEE Open Journal of the Communication Society. He has organized multiple special issues in journals like EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking and has authored/edited books on antennas and AI in networks. His awards include multiple IEEE Access Outstanding Associate Editor recognitions (2019–2023) and inclusion in Stanford University's top 2% scientists list (2020–2024). He teaches courses on telecommunications, Java programming, and microwave systems, and has supervised over two dozen master's students since 2009. His work spans antenna optimization, AI-driven communications, and IoT security, with contributions to 5G/6G, RIS systems, and smart agriculture. Prof. Goudos actively contributes to IEEE Greece Section leadership roles, including Secretary (2022) and Vice-Chair (2023–2024). His labs and teams focus on ELEDIA's research in electromagnetics, optimization, and AI applications.
Professor Foto N. Afrati is a Distinguished Faculty Member at the National Technical University of Athens, specifically within the School of Electrical and Computing Engineering and the Division of Communication, Electronic and Information Engineering. She has held this position since 1993, following previous academic ranks at the same university as Associate Professor (1989-1993), Assistant Professor (1985-1989), Lecturer (1982-1985), and Research Fellow (1980-1982). She completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering at Imperial College of the University of London in March 1980, with a dissertation focused on Error Correcting Codes by Algorithms. Her academic journey also included a Diploma from Imperial College (March 1980) and an earlier Diploma in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (June 1976). Professor Afrati's research interests span several critical areas in computer science: Parallel and distributed computation Processing of very large data (including MapReduce) Data and web mining Database Systems Information integration Query optimization Computation and complexity of algorithms Approximation algorithms Her most recent publications demonstrate expertise in MapReduce environments, query optimization with views, and data exchange frameworks. These works are published in prestigious venues like EDBT, VLDB, PODS, and ICDT, with specific focus areas including adaptive sampling techniques, data source integrity, and algorithm complexity in database environments. Professor Afrati has received significant recognition in her field, including Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Database Theory (ICDT) 2009 She has advised numerous PhD students throughout her career, including Theodoros Mitakos, Ezz Hattab, Nikos Kiourtis, and Angelos Vasilakopoulos. Her current PhD students include Victor Kyritsis and Nikos Stassinopoulos. Professor Afrati maintains strong professional networks through her various visiting positions at institutions such as Google, Stanford University, IBM Research Center, University of Helsinki, University of Paris, DIMACS, and others. She has served as associate editor and reviewer for major academic journals and conferences including IEEE TKDE, ACM Transactions of Database Systems (TODS), Journal of ACM (JACM), and Theoretical Computer Science (TCS). Her extensive work in research projects spans both national and international initiatives, with funding from sources including the European Union's Thalis project, ESPRIT working groups, HCM networks, and Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology grants.
Antonios Deligiannakis is a Professor at the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering of the Technical University of Crete, specializing in database systems and distributed data processing. His academic career includes a postdoctoral position at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2006-2007) and a visiting researcher role at AT&T Labs-Research (2003). His educational background includes: PhD in Computer Science, University of Maryland, USA (2005) Master's Degree in Computer Science, University of Maryland, USA (2001) Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (1999) Professor Deligiannakis's research spans Databases , Stream Processing , and Sensor Networks , with pioneering work in Approximate Query Evaluation for massive datasets and Complex Event Processing in distributed environments. His contributions enable efficient analytics in resource-constrained settings through techniques like synopses-based engines and windowed outlier detection. His 15 most recent publications (2020-2025) reveal a dominant focus on distributed streaming analytics, with recurring themes of cross-platform integration, federated learning, and extreme-scale interactive systems. Key innovations include the INFORE framework for interactive analytics, DAG* for IoT workflow optimization, and communication-efficient federated learning techniques—demonstrating consistent translation of theoretical advances into production-ready platforms. Scientific Awards: No specific awards were listed in the provided material. Information about advisees and research grants was not provided in available documentation, though his leadership in the Distributed Information Systems and Applications laboratory suggests active mentorship and project direction. He directs research in the Distributed Information Systems and Applications laboratory, developing systems for real-time analytics across domains including maritime surveillance, financial technology, and IoT platforms, with emphasis on scalability and fault tolerance in geo-distributed environments.
Professor Yannis Pollalis serves as Department Chair in the Department of Economics at the University of Piraeus' School of Economics, Business and International Studies. He has held this professorship since 1999 after serving as Professor of Strategic Information Systems at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies (1993-1999). He founded and directs both the M.Sc. Program in Economic & Business Strategy (2001) and the Research & Training Center in Digital Transformation & Strategic Leadership (iLEADS Lab, 2017). PhD in Business Strategy & Management Information Systems, University of Pittsburgh MBA in Finance & Operations Management, University of Scranton BSc in Economics, University of Piraeus His research spans Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, and e-Government Systems, with significant contributions to Lean Management in public utilities and healthcare. His work demonstrates consistent focus on applying data analytics to solve public sector challenges while bridging strategic theory and practical implementation across Greek governmental and private institutions. His publication trends reveal deepening specialization in digital governance since 2020, particularly analyzing e-government maturity models, citizen perspectives, and strategic implementation gaps in Greek and European contexts. Earlier work established foundations in strategic information systems, lean transformation frameworks, and healthcare management. Teaching Excellence Awards Editorial Board: International Journal for Information Management Editorial Board: Journal of Marketing & Operations Management Research Pollalis actively advises Greek public sector entities as Vice-Chairman of the Hellenic Development Bank and previously chaired the Committee for New Development Law 4887/2022. His research has received funding from The Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, NATO's Science & Research Program, and the European Network for SMEs Research. He has authored 18 books covering strategic management, e-business, and marketing. He leads the iLEADS Lab research team focused on digital transformation frameworks and strategic leadership development, with significant impact on Greek public sector modernization initiatives.
Ioannis Tzimas is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Peloponnese. He is a highly active researcher with numerous publications in areas of Service-Oriented Architectures, Web Engineering, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence applications. University: University of Peloponnese Department: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Academic Rank: Professor Email: tzimas@uop.gr Ioannis Tzimas received his education from the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics of the University of Patras, where he also completed his PhD in Web Engineering. His research spans multiple interdisciplinary domains at the intersection of computer science and practical applications. Service-Oriented Architectures and Information Systems Web Data Engineering and Web Modeling Big Data Management and Data Science Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Applications Digital Ecosystems and Digital Transformation for the Public Sector Bioinformatics Professor Tzimas' recent research output demonstrates a strategic focus on applying advanced computational techniques to address contemporary challenges. His work shows particular expertise in labor market analysis using large language models, electricity demand forecasting in Greece, and social protection systems. His publications reveal a pattern of bridging theoretical computer science with practical, real-world applications across multiple sectors. Since 2018, he has served as an international consultant to the World Bank in the field of information systems and digital transformation, working on projects across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, and China. His earlier career included significant technical leadership roles at the University of Patras and other Greek institutions. Technical Manager of the Graphics, Multimedia and Geographic Systems Laboratory (1996-2018) Technical Coordinator of the Internet and Multimedia Technologies Research Unit (1997-2011) Scientific Manager of the Network Management Center of the TEI of Messolonghi (2009-mid 2013)
Anastasios Zafeiropoulos serves as Assistant Professor at Harokopio University of Athens, specializing in Spatial Data Management and Analysis within the Postgraduate Studies Program for “Applied Geography and Spatial Management” (Direction C: Geoinformatics). His academic role encompasses teaching “Spatial Databases” and advancing research at the intersection of geospatial technologies and distributed computing systems. His research program focuses on Spatial Databases, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud/Edge Computing, and 6G Network Orchestration, with significant extensions into Knowledge Graph applications for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and socio-emotional learning in education. Key innovations include the EduCardia methodology for student competency assessment and frameworks for climate vulnerability analysis using knowledge graphs. Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications reveals three dominant thrusts: (1) AI-driven orchestration of 6G services across the computing continuum using reinforcement learning; (2) Knowledge Graph applications for SDG interlinkage analysis and materials science; (3) EU-funded IoT/Edge Computing project ecosystems. His work consistently bridges theoretical networking concepts with practical sustainability and educational applications. Dr. Zafeiropoulos actively contributes to EU-funded initiatives in IoT and Edge Computing standardization, particularly through AIOTI WG Standardisation. His project portfolio includes NEPHELE multi-cloud ecosystem development and O-RAN slice admission control research, demonstrating strong industry-academia collaboration in next-generation networking. He leads the development of innovative tools including Palindrome.js for distributed system visualization and the EmoSocio open-access emotional intelligence model, reflecting his commitment to translating research into practical educational and environmental solutions.
Nectarios Koziris is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science , National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) , and former Dean of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering . His research focuses on Parallel and Distributed Systems , Computer Architecture , and Cloud Computing . Key Research Themes: Compiler-OS-Architecture Interaction, Datacenter Hyperconvergence, Sparse Matrix Optimization, Quantum Computing, FPGA Virtualization Leadership: Founder of ~okeanos (Europe's largest public Cloud IaaS), Co-founder of GFOSS , Member of IEEE Computer Society Greece, Advisor to Arrikto Inc. His work has led to over 180 publications with 5800+ citations (h-index 33) , including two Best Paper Awards (IPDPS 2001, CCGRID 2013) and Intel Recognition (2015). He has supervised 12 PhD students and participated in 15+ EU projects as coordinator or consortium partner. Scientific Leadership: Program Co-Chair for Europar 2012 , Organizer for IPDPS , ICPP , SC conferences, and active member in Cloud Computing Expert Groups for the European Commission.
Alvin Cheung is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Division at UC Berkeley's EECS department. He is affiliated with the Data Systems and Foundations group, Programming Systems group, Sky Lab, and SLICE Lab, and serves as a faculty affiliate at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. He advises the Data Science Discovery Program and provides technical guidance to industry partners. His research spans data management, programming languages, and scalable software systems, with emphasis on helping users process large datasets efficiently. Key innovations include verified lifting (applying formal methods and ML to infer program properties) and systems for optimizing database-backed applications and geospatial analytics. Recent work explores LLM-driven code optimization and transpilation techniques. His publications (2023-2025) show strong trends in ML-enhanced systems, verified compilation, and data management tools. Articles frequently integrate formal methods, program synthesis, and hardware-aware optimizations across domains like databases, distributed computing, and HCI. Scientific Awards: ACSIC Rock Star Award (2025) Dahl-Nygaard Junior Prize (2024) VLDB Early Career Research Contribution Award (2023) IEEE TCDE Rising Star Award (2020) Sloan Fellowship (2019) NSF CAREER Award (2017) 20+ additional honors Advising & Grants: He mentors PhD/MS students (e.g., Lily Liu at OpenAI, Chenglong Wang at Microsoft Research). Research is funded by: NSF DOE ONR ARO Intel Notable grants include ONR Young Investigator Award and ARO Early Career Program Award. Labs & Teams: Leads projects in Berkeley's Data Systems/Programming Systems groups and collaborates with Sky Lab/SLICE Lab. Manages labs focused on verified compilation (e.g., Tenspiler) and data infrastructure (e.g., Spatialyze).
Professor Saman Amarasinghe is a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he leads the Commit compiler research group at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). His research focuses on programming languages and compilers that maximize application performance on modern computing platforms, with a particular emphasis on high-performance domain-specific languages. Professor Amarasinghe received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Cornell University in 1988, followed by master's and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1990 and 1997, respectively. He joined the MIT faculty as an assistant professor in 1997 and has since become a world leader in his field. Professor Amarasinghe's research interests span programming languages, compiler design, and high-performance computing, with a particular focus on domain-specific languages. His group has developed numerous influential languages and compilers including Halide, TACO, Simit, StreamIt, StreamJIT, PetaBricks, MILK, Cimple, and GraphIt, which deliver unprecedented performance for application domains such as image processing, stream computations, and graph analytics. He has also pioneered the application of machine learning for compiler optimizations, from Meta optimization in 2003 to the OpenTuner autotuner framework. Professor Amarasinghe's publication history reveals a consistent research trajectory toward creating specialized language and compiler solutions that address performance challenges in specific domains while hiding complexity from application developers. His recent work focuses heavily on sparse computing, tensor algebra, graph processing, and the integration of machine learning techniques into compiler technology, demonstrating his ability to identify and address emerging computational challenges. ACM Fellow (2019) As an educator, Professor Amarasinghe has developed the popular Performance Engineering of Software Systems (6.172) class with Professor Charles Leiserson and created innovative project-based courses including the Open Source Software Project Lab, the Open Source Entrepreneurship Lab, and the Bring Your Own Software Project Lab. He also serves as the faculty director of MIT Global Startup Labs, which has helped create more than 20 startups across 17 countries. His research has translated into practical applications through startups like Determina, Inc. (acquired by VMware), demonstrating the real-world impact of his academic work. Professor Amarasinghe co-led the Raw architecture project with Professor Anant Agarwal, which did pioneering work on scalable multicores. His entrepreneurial activities include founding Determina, Inc. based on computer security research from his MIT lab and co-founding Lanka Internet Services, Ltd., the first Internet Service Provider in Sri Lanka, showcasing his ability to bridge academic research with commercial applications.
Michalis Mountantonakis is a Postdoctoral Researcher at FORTH and Laboratory Teaching Staff in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Crete, Greece. He holds a PhD (2020), MSc (2016), and BSc (2014) in Computer Science from the University of Crete, all with top grades. His research focuses on Large-Scale Semantic Data Integration, Linked Open Data, and Semantic Web technologies, with over 45 publications in top venues like ACM VLDB, ISWC, and ECML. He has been awarded the prestigious SWSA Distinguished Dissertation Award (2020) and the Maria Michael Manasaki Fellowship (2020). His work includes tools like LODsyndesis and LODChain, addressing challenges in knowledge graph connectivity and validation of AI-generated content. Education: PhD in Computer Science (2016-2020), University of Crete (Excellent GPA 9.74/10) MSc in Computer Science (2014-2016), University of Crete (Excellent GPA 9.87/10) BSc in Computer Science (2010-2014), University of Crete (2nd in class with GPA 8.42/10) Research Interests: His work bridges semantic web technologies with modern AI challenges, emphasizing large-scale data integration, knowledge graph applications, and validation frameworks. He has contributed to cultural heritage informatics, machine learning-augmented semantic systems, and cross-lingual NLP solutions. Recent trends include leveraging LLMs for query generation and semantic enrichment while ensuring factual accuracy through knowledge graph-driven validation. Key Achievements: Developed LODsyndesis, a global-scale semantic integration service Pioneered real-time validation of ChatGPT responses using RDF knowledge graphs Won Best Paper Award (ISWC 2022) for entity enrichment techniques Recipient of Stelios Orphanoudakis Undergraduate Fellowship (2013-2014) Participated in Roche Continents 2019 (top 100 European science students) Grants & Labs: His research has been supported by GSRT/HFRI. He collaborates with FORTH-ICS and leads projects in EU-funded initiatives like iMarine and BlueBridge. Current work focuses on governance models for ontologies, interoperable thesaurus creation (e.g., FoodEx2), and semantic analytics for cultural heritage datasets.
