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Prof. Yannis Missirlis
, University of Patras, Greece
Emergent properties in multicellular organisms
short bioProfessor Yannis F. Missirlis is a distinguished
Greek scientist and pioneer in the fields of biomechanics, biomaterials, and biomedical
engineering. Born in Samos, Greece in 1946, he studied Chemical Engineering at the National
Technical University of Athens and pursued postgraduate studies in the United States,
earning an MSc from Syracuse University and a PhD from Rice University in Biomedical
Engineering.
He began his academic career in North America as Assistant and Associate Professor at
McMaster University (1974–1980), before joining the University of Patras in 1981 as a Full
Professor. There, he founded and directed the Laboratory of Biomechanics and Biomedical
Engineering, contributing significantly to the establishment and development of these
disciplines in Greece.
Professor Missirlis has held key academic leadership roles, including Vice-Rector of the
University of Patras, and has actively participated in international scientific bodies such
as the European and World Councils of Biomechanics. His research spans cell–material
interactions, tissue engineering, mechanotransduction, and biomechanics across multiple
scales.
He has authored and co-edited influential books on biomaterials and protein interactions,
and published more than 90 peer-reviewed papers and numerous book chapters. In recognition
of his contributions, he has been named an Honorary Member of leading scientific societies
and elected Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE).
Today, he remains active as an affiliated researcher at the Sabanci University
Nanotechnology Center (SUNUM) and as a collaborator with research institutions including the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, continuing to contribute to advances in nanomedicine
and biomedical engineering.
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Dr. Huiqing Pang
, Beijing Summer Sprout Technology Co., Ltd., China
The evolution of OLED technology
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Prof. David Payne
, Imperial College London, UK
An introduction to X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
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Dr. Nikos Pliatsikas
, Physics Department, AUTh, Greece
Probing Surfaces and Thin Films with XPS and AES: Principles, Instrumentation, and
Materials Applications
short bioDr. Nikolaos Pliatsikas graduated from the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Ioannina and obtained his PhD in
2018 from the Department of Physics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). From
2018 to 2020, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Linköping University, supported by a
personal fellowship from the Wenner-Gren Foundations. Between 2021 and 2024, he served as
Principal Investigator of the HFRI-funded BioNanoTiN project at AUTH. His research interests
lie in the synthesis and nanostructuring of advanced materials, including thin films,
nanoparticles, and nanostructures, targeting applications in photonics and optoelectronics.
He is also active in the advanced characterization of surfaces, nanomaterials, and thin
films through spectroscopic and X-ray techniques, with emphasis on the chemical composition,
structure, and morphology of solid and nanostructured materials. At AUTH, he played a
central role in the installation and operation of a shared research infrastructure for X-ray
Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy/Microscopy (AES/SAM). He
has participated extensively in a broad range of research projects as both principal and
collaborating investigator.
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Prof. Heinz Adolf Preisig
, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
A brief workshop on SHACL
short bio Heinz Adolf Preisig is a Norwegian chemical engineer
and academic known for his contributions to process systems engineering, particularly in the
areas of process control, modeling, and optimization. He served as a professor at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where he played a key role in advancing
research and education in chemical engineering.
Preisig’s work focused on developing computational methods for the design and operation of
complex industrial processes, including dynamic modeling and advanced control strategies. He
was especially recognized for integrating mathematical rigor with practical engineering
applications, helping bridge the gap between theory and industrial implementation.
In addition to his research, he was an active contributor to the international scientific
community through publications, collaborations, and mentoring of students and researchers.
His legacy includes a strong influence on modern approaches to process systems engineering
and engineering education.
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Prof. Ingo Salzmann
, Concordia University, Canada
Thin Film Structure Characterization by X-ray Diffraction Techniques
short bioDr. Ingo Salzmann is an experimental physicist and
surface scientist, holds a PhD (summa cum laude) in experimental physics from
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, and, after being Visiting Professor at the
Institute of Solid-State Physics at The University of Tokyo (Japan), joined Concordia
University as Associate Professor in 2018 on a joint position in physics and chemistry. He
has authored >100 peer-reviewed publications and dedicates his research to the
physicochemical and optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors focusing on surface
characterization, scattering techniques, and photoelectron spectroscopy as performed in the
lab and at synchrotron radiation centers around the world.
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Prof. Kostas Sarakinos
, University of Helsinki, Finland
The physics of vapor-based thin-film synthesis
short bioKostas Sarakinos is Professor at the Department of
Physics at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Guest Researcher at the Royal Institute
of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. Kostas’s research interests include atomistic
processes during film nucleation and growth, growth manipulation, in situ growth monitoring,
and deterministic and stochastic film growth simulations. He has co-authored 80 papers, 4
book chapters, and 1 book. He teaches courses related to materials, surface, and thin-film
physics at undergraduate and post-graduate level.
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Prof. Aylin Sendemir
, Ege University, Turkey
Tissue Engineered Systems as in vitro Disease Models
short bioDr. Aylin Şendemir graduated as a mechanical engineer
from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye (1994); received her M. Sc degree from the
Institute of Biomedical Engineering from Bogazici University (1997), and her Ph.D degree in
Materials Science and Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. She
is an Associate Professor at Ege University Bioengineering Department, and is currently the
principal investigator of Ege Research Group of Biomaterials and 3D Biointerphases
(EBioPhase). Her research interests include interactions of mammalian cells with
biomaterials, tissue engineering, mechanobiology and biocompatibility testing. She is
particularly interested in design and production of in vitro tissue engineered 3D
personalized disease models for pharmaceutical screening and minimizing animal testing. She
has experience on in vitro modeling of neurodegenerative diseases, blood-brain barrier
pathologies, spinal cord injury, diabetic skin wounds and tumoroids. Dr. Şendemir is also
among the founding members of Turkish Biodesign Team (TBT), and investigates form and
function relationship within different tissues.
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Dr. Despoina Tselekidou
, Nanotechnology Lab LTFN, AUTh / COPE-Nano, Greece
OLEDs Technology and Applications
short bioDespoina Tselekidou is a Physicist and holds an MSc
in Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies. During her academic journey, she specialized in
solution-based deposition techniques and material characterization for the fabrication of
Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). She has published 14 publications in international
scientific journals, delivered over 15 presentations at international conferences, and
participated in more than 5 European and National R&D projects in the field of organic
electronics.
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Prof. George Volonakis
, University of Rennes, France
Engineering and Understanding Tomorrow's Optoelectronics: Atomistic Computational Design
of Advanced Semiconductors
short bioGeorge Volonakis is a Junior Professor at the
Université de Rennes (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes), where he leads a research
group focused on the computational design of materials for energy applications. He obtained
his PhD in Physics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and subsequently held a
postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford in the group of Prof. Feliciano Giustino.
His research combines first-principles calculations and machine learning to discover and
characterise novel halide perovskites and related materials for photovoltaics and
optoelectronics. He has authored 56 publications — including contributions to Nature
Materials, Advanced Materials, and Science — with over 5,500 citations and an h-index of 25.
He is the recipient of a Chaire de Recherche Rennes Métropole and a Junior Research
Fellowship at Wolfson College, Oxford, and currently serves as Associate Editor of Materials
Science and Engineering: R (Elsevier).
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