Director of Interdepartmental Studies Program
Program of Studies Committee
Coordinating Committee
Antonopoulos Christos
Christos Antonopoulos is a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the School of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His doctoral dissertation was titled: “Determination of the Electromagnetic Field of a Dipole Source of Arbitrary Orientation in a Stratified Medium Using T-Ω and Boundary Element Methods.”
His scientific interests focus on the application of analytical and numerical methods to problems in electromagnetic field theory, electromagnetic compatibility, and the propagation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves. In the department’s postgraduate program, he teaches the courses “Special Topics in Electromagnetic Field” and “Electromagnetic Compatibility.”
He has published over 100 related papers in journals and conference proceedings. Electromagnetic wave propagation is a subset of his area of expertise, and for the course “Remote Sensing” proposed in the postgraduate curriculum—which primarily refers to RADAR systems—there is direct relevance and therefore adequacy for teaching. Furthermore, a significant portion of his published work relates to antennas and electromagnetic wave propagation.
Christos Antonopoulos has been a member of numerous scientific organizations and associations, such as the Technical Chamber of Greece, URSI, the Hellenic Institute of Acoustics, among others. He is an active member of the IEEE. He has served as Director of the Telecommunications Laboratory and the Telecommunications Division, as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Institute of Acoustics (HELINA). Currently, he is a member of the International Steering Committee of two international conferences and has served as chair of the joint IEEE Greek Chapter on Electron Devices – Microwave Theory and Techniques – Antennas and Propagation.
Karagiannidis George
Georgios Karagiannidis is a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the School of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
His main research activities include:
• Wireless communication networks (5G and 6G)
• Application of Artificial Intelligence in information transmission and processing
• Wireless power transfer, among others.
He has delivered over 100 lectures at foreign universities and forums and has received multiple awards for his contributions to research in telecommunications and wireless networks. These include major international scientific awards such as:
• The 2021 IEEE Communications Society Radio Communications Committee (RCC) Technical Recognition Award
• The 2018 IEEE Signal Processing and Communications Electronics (SPCE) Technical Recognition Award
• And most recently, the prestigious Humboldt Research Award 2022 from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.
As of January 1, 2024, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Communications, the most prestigious journal in the field of telecommunications.
He is considered one of the most influential scientists globally and is the only Greek academic in the fields of computer science and telecommunications to be recognized as a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher for nine consecutive years (2015–2023).
Ioannis Papaefstathiou
Dr. Ioannis Papaefstathiou has been an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and
Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) since 2018. He
received his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Crete in 1996, his
Master's degree from Harvard University in 1997, and his Ph.D. from the University of
Cambridge in 2000.
From 2005 to 2018, he served as an Assistant, then Associate, and finally Full Professor at the
ECE School of the Technical University of Crete. Between 2002 and 2005, he was a
collaborating researcher at the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), and
from 2001 to 2004, he was a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Crete, Department
of Computer Science. From 1997 to 2000, he was a researcher at the Systems Research Group,
Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and from 2000 to 2001, he worked as an
operations analyst and software engineer at KBC Financial Products (KBCfp), London, UK.
His research interests focus on the architecture and design of innovative secure systems for
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), as well as the design and implementation of heterogeneous High
Performance Computing (HPC) systems. He has published more than 100 research papers in
these fields, in high-level international journals and conferences, which have received over 2,500
citations (h-index = 27). He also serves as a reviewer for international journals and as a member
of the organizing committees of major international conferences.
He has participated in numerous research projects funded by the European Union (IST, ICT,
H2020), securing over 7 million euros in competitive European project funding for the
institutions he has worked with over the past eight years.
Dr. Papaefstathiou is responsible for the development of object recognition subsystems in UAVs
within the AdviSer project and was involved in the development of DroneSourcing — an open
hardware and software platform for the implementation of UAVs for environmental monitoring.
Andreas Symeonidis
Dr. Andreas L. Symeonidis is a Professor of Software Engineering at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is the head of the ISSEL group (https://lab.issel.ee.auth.gr/) and also serves as Head of Research at Cyclopt (https://www.cyclopt.com/). His work focuses on the analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance of complex software systems.
Dr. Symeonidis's research has been published in more than 200 journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers (a comprehensive list of publications is available at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=339uVZQAAAAJ&hl=el). He is the co-author of the books "Agent Intelligence through Data Mining" (Springer), "Mining Software Engineering Data for Software Reuse" (Springer), and "Practical Machine Learning in R" (Leanpub).
He has been extensively involved, both technically and administratively, in more than 30 R&D projects funded by the EU and the Greek state, and has occasionally served as an evaluator and reviewer for R&D projects for the European Commission. He also provides consulting services to high-level technology companies.
His full CV is available at: http://users.auth.gr/symeonid.
Dr. Symeonidis is well-qualified to teach in this postgraduate program, as he has extensive experience in the fields of software technology, big data, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cyber-physical systems.
Alkiviadis Chatzopoulos
He has been working at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Faculty of Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 1981, where he is currently a Professor specializing in “Analog Electronic Circuits.” Since 2002, he has been elected Director of the Electronics Laboratory of the ECE School. He also served as Adjunct Teaching Staff at the Hellenic Open University, in the School of Informatics, for twelve years (2004–2017). His research interests include the modeling, design, and testing of integrated circuits and systems (analog, mixed-signal, high-frequency), 3D integrated circuits (3D ICs), electronic communication circuits, thin-film transistors (TFTs), electronic sensor and measurement systems, bioelectronic systems, and space applications. He is actively involved in educational and research programs and is the author or co-author of more than 170 scientific papers in international journals and conference proceedings, as well as three book chapters in international publications.
He has been teaching for many years the courses:
• Electronics I, II, III
• Telecommunication Electronics
• VLSI System Design
• System Reliability
• and the postgraduate course “Sensor Technologies for the Internet of Things” in the Interuniversity and Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program “Advanced Computer and Communication Systems.”
He has delivered numerous lectures on his research topics at various universities. He has served as a visiting professor at:
• Michigan State University (MSU), USA (February – July 1995)
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Belgium (February – July 2004)
• University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) (January – July 2016)
Sensor and measurement systems are part of his research interests, as evidenced by a number of related publications in international journals and conferences. Additionally, his teaching qualifications are demonstrated through his long-standing teaching experience, especially through the postgraduate course “Sensor Technologies for the Internet of Things,” which he has been teaching over the past four years (2018–2022).
Dimitrios Giagopoulos
Dimitrios Giagkopoulos is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with academic specialization in “Analysis of Mechanical Structures and Dynamic Systems.” His research covers the following areas:
• Application of analytical, numerical, and computational methods in the dynamic analysis of mechanical assemblies and systems
• Description of dynamic response and vibrations, determination of dynamic strength, parameter identification, and optimization of structures, machines, and mechanisms
• Processing of vibrational signals, identification of dynamic model structures, and optimal updating of numerical models through measurements
• Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) using numerical models and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods
He received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautics Engineering at the University of Patras in 2000, and his Ph.D. from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2006. His doctoral research focused on the dynamic analysis and modeling of complex structures with linear and nonlinear characteristics using both numerical and experimental methods.
He has published over 70 scientific works in international journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters in the field of structural dynamics. He has participated as Principal Investigator and Project Leader in more than 30 research projects in the area of structural dynamics, funded primarily by industry as well as through competitive national programs.
He has postgraduate teaching experience in the inter-university THRUST program at AUTH, as well as in the postgraduate programs ENTEX and ADVENS of the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Western Macedonia.
He is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), and the Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI).
Sotirios Natsiavas
Professor Sotirios Natsiavas is a Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Machine Dynamics in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Facutly of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), with an academic specialization in “Vibrations and Dynamics of Mechanical Structures, Measurement of Vibrational Quantities.” He holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the same School, as well as a Master of Science (M.S.) and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
In addition to his position at AUTH, he has taught at Caltech, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Thessaly.
His teaching and research activities focus on the dynamics and vibrations of mechanical systems, with emphasis on:
• Linear and nonlinear vibrations
• Structural and machine dynamics
• Vehicle dynamics and stability
• Structural optimization
• Fluid–structure interaction
In these fields, he has authored three textbooks and a large number of scientific articles published in prestigious international journals and conference proceedings.
He has served as Principal Investigator in numerous research projects, funded both by industrial entities and competitive national programs. Additionally, he has supervised many Master’s theses and a significant number of doctoral dissertations.
He actively participates in numerous international scientific and technical committees and organizations, and has co-organized several engineering conferences.
For his scientific contributions, Professor Natsiavas has received several awards, including:
• The E. Sechler Award (Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories of Caltech)
• The Award for Teaching Excellence (College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at ASU)
• The Senior Research Prize (European Association of Structural Dynamics, 2020)
He has been a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 2008 and has served as Associate Editor and Editorial Board member of leading scientific journals in his field, including:
• ASME Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics
• Journal of Vibration and Acoustics
• Journal of Vibration and Control
• International Journal of Solids and Structures
• Nonlinear Dynamics
• International Journal of Non-linear Mechanics
• Journal of Multi-Body Dynamics
Georgios Savvaidis
Faculty of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). He is the Director of the Laboratory of Machine Elements and Mechanical Design in the same School.
His academic expertise lies in Machine Elements and Computational Methods for the Design of Mechanical Structures, which are directly related to the subjects he will teach in the postgraduate program (MSc). In addition, as a faculty member, he has over 18 years of teaching experience in construction-related courses that are closely aligned with those included in the MSc curriculum.
Professor Savvaidis has participated in 69 research projects, the majority of which he served as Principal Investigator, focusing on the design of mechanical structures—subjects that directly correspond to the content he will teach in the postgraduate program.
Over the past six years, he has also led the engineering and design teams in research projects concerning the development of unmanned vehicles, a topic that fully aligns with the focus of the MSc program.
His research activity has resulted in:
• 60 publications in reputable international journals, and
• 104 peer-reviewed papers in international conference proceedings.
Panagiotis Seferlis
Panagiotis Seferlis is a Full Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering (DME) Faculty of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), specializing in Automatic Control in Mechanical/Electrical Systems.
He teaches the courses:
• Automatic Control,
• Digital Systems for Dynamic Systems, and
• Optimal Control of Dynamic Systems at the DME,
as well as the Predictive Control course in the postgraduate program of the Department of Mathematics at AUTH.
He has supervised 12 Master's theses in the field of autonomous vehicle control.
His research activity focuses on the development of advanced control systems for mechanical systems, including autonomous aerial and ground vehicles, energy conversion systems, and process control systems.
These controllers rely on predictions from dynamic models of the applications and incorporate optimization algorithms to:
• determine and track the optimal trajectory of vehicles, and
• compute optimal control actions that simultaneously satisfy multiple objectives and constraints.
He has participated in research projects related to control system design for autonomous aircraft.
His research output includes over 200 publications in international scientific journals and peer-reviewed international conference proceedings in relevant areas.
Kyriakos Yakinthos
Dr. Kyriakos Yakinthos is a Mechanical Engineer and Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), specializing in Fluid Mechanics with emphasis on turbulence and its modeling.
In the undergraduate curriculum of the Department, he teaches:
• Fluid Mechanics
• Aerodynamics
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
He is the Director of the Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics & Turbomachinery and conducts applied research in the field of aeronautics, focusing on:
• Aerodynamic design and flight performance of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
• Low-emission technologies for efficient aircraft engines
He has authored over 100 scientific publications and presentations in international journals and conferences in the field of aeronautics.
Since 2011, he has coordinated and participated in numerous research projects, co-funded by Greek and European industry as well as national and EU funds, in areas such as:
• Aeronautics
• Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
• Aircraft engines
Notable projects include:
• The Greek civil unmanned aerial vehicle
• Low-emission engine technologies
• Technological innovations for ultra-low emissions in future aircraft engines (post-2050)
• Design and development of UAV systems
• Autonomous portable multi-role UAV systems
• Innovative UAV platforms for delivering aid to remote Greek islands
• Certification of fixed and rotary wing UAVs
• Low-observability UAVs for ISR missions
• Advanced composite materials for reducing aerodynamic drag and electromagnetic response in aviation applications
• UAVs for low-altitude flight missions over water surfaces
• Collaborative intelligent transportation systems supported by UAVs
• Autonomous robotic UAV systems for navigating inaccessible indoor environments and locating people
• Research subcontracting for the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI)
• Optimization methods using CFD applied to innovative UAV platforms
He holds one European patent funded by MTU Aero Engines and, along with his research team, has submitted another European patent application for the design of an innovative unmanned aerial vehicle.
Stylianos Βitharis
Dr. Stylianos Bitharis is an Assistant Professor at the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and a member of the Laboratory of Topography.
In 2021, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Geodesy and Surveying from the same School (Faculty of Engineering, School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, AUTH), and he also holds a Master’s degree in Geoinformatics, specializing in Modern Geodetic Applications.
His research activity focuses on:
• The processing of satellite GPS/GNSS data
• Estimation of tropospheric products from GNSS data with applications in atmospheric and climate sciences
• Geodetic networks for monitoring micromovements of the Earth’s crust
• The impact of these movements on the realization of terrestrial geodetic reference frames
He has worked as a scientific associate on major European projects at:
• AUTH
• The Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens
He has participated in numerous international scientific conferences, such as:
• EGU (European Geosciences Union)
• IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics)
• IAG (International Association of Geodesy)
• EUREF (European Reference Frame organization)
Since 2013, he has been a member of the GNSS-QC scientific team, working on advanced tropospheric GNSS products for monitoring severe weather conditions and climate.
Additionally, he has experience in:
• Ionospheric variations prior to strong seismic events, using networks of permanent reference stations
Currently, his research focuses on:
• Long-term deformations of the solid Earth in Greece, using GNSS stations and advanced time-series analysis
He is a member of:
• The "European Dense Velocities" working group of EUREF, responsible for the European Reference Frame and GNSS networks
• The IAG working group on Time-dependent transformations between reference frames, which develops methods for temporal transformations in regions of significant crustal deformation, supporting geodetic applications.
Petros Patias
Mr. Petros Patias is the Director of the Laboratory of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). He served as Chair of the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering at AUTH from 2003 to 2007, was a member of the provisional General Assembly of the School of Spatial Planning and Development at AUTH (2004–2012), and Vice President of the Administrative Committee of the University of Western Macedonia (2010–2015). From 1992 to 1996, he was President of the Hellenic Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (HSPRS). He was also a founding member and board member of the Cartographic Scientific Society of Greece (1993–1995), a board member of the International Committee for Architectural Photogrammetry (CIPA) from 1998 to 2010, President of CIPA from 2003 to 2007, and has been Honorary President of CIPA since 2003 (for life). Since 2016, he is a Fellow of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), a lifetime honor. He has served as a reviewer for 46 scientific journals and is the editor of the e-Journal “South-Eastern European Journal of Earth Observation and Geomatics.”
Mr. Patias has acted as Scientific Coordinator or team member in 96 research projects funded by national or European agencies.
His published work includes:
• 3 dissertations/monographs
• 6 scientific books
• 13 chapters in foreign scientific books
• 9 university teaching notes
• 271 published scientific papers
• 6 electronic media publications
He teaches four related courses in the undergraduate program, has a very extensive related publication record, and participates in four research projects related to autonomous aerial systems.
Christos Pikridas
Mr. Christos Pikridis received his Diploma in Rural and Surveying Engineering in 1995 from the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece, and was awarded a PhD in Satellite Geodesy from the same university in 1999. He is currently the Director of the Laboratory of Geodetic Methods and Satellite Applications at the Department of Geodesy and Surveying Engineering (TATM) at AUTH. He is an expert in GNSS data analysis, with over 20 years of research experience in modeling error sources in GNSS measurements, developing algorithms, quality control, and specifications for the installation of permanent GNSS monitoring station networks, GNSS applications in engineering projects, and monitoring and management of natural disasters. To date, he manages the Hermes NTRIP Caster server for the dissemination of RTCM data over the Internet and is responsible for managing three Greek permanent GNSS stations participating in the European Permanent Network of GNSS stations EPN/EUREF. He leads the GNSS Analysis Center AUT1 for the EUMETNET EIG GNSS-EGVAP program for precipitable water estimation (www.egvap.dmi.dk) and is a core member of the research team monitoring, resolving, and assuring the quality of Leica’s SmartNet in Greece, part of the Hexagon group, aiming to provide precise positioning services in Greece. He is also an active member of the Working Group on European Dense Velocities for creating a European velocity field by combining existing national geodetic velocities. Prof. C. Pikridis was the Principal Investigator of the multinational research project BeRTISS: Balkan Mediterranean Real TIME Severe and Weather Service - INTERREG Balkan-Mediterranean 2014-2020, co-funded by the EU and national resources. He is a core member of the geodetic research team of the HELPOS program – the Hellenic Lithosphere Observation System, also co-funded by EU and national funds.
He has participated in more than 15 national and international research projects and has over 150 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings. He teaches undergraduate courses at TATM-AUTH: GPS Satellite System, Geometric Geodesy and Networks, GPS Applications, and Field Exercises. He is co-author of the book “GPS and Geodetic Applications,” 2nd Edition. ISBN: 978-960-456-346-3.
Periklis Panagiotou
Dr. Periklis Panagiotou is a Mechanical Engineer with a PhD, a postdoctoral researcher, and an elected Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), specializing in Aerodynamics with an emphasis on the design of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). His research interests include the design and sizing of manned and unmanned aircraft, applied aerodynamics, experimental and computational fluid dynamics, as well as the optimization of flight performance and efficiency of fixed-wing aerial vehicles. He has completed design seminars on aircraft configuration by the renowned aerospace engineer Dr. Daniel Raymer in California, USA. In the undergraduate program of the Mechanical Engineering Department at AUTH, he teaches Fluid Mechanics II, Computational Fluid Dynamics, and Aircraft Design. Dr. Panagiotou conducts applied research in aeronautics focusing on the sizing and design, flight performance, and optimization of fixed-wing UAVs. He has served as lead designer in projects related to the design, sizing, and flight testing of medium and large fixed-wing UAVs, as well as low-emission aircraft engine technologies. Since 2020, he has coordinated a research project aimed at optimizing the performance and efficiency of innovative geometries for UAVs.
Some of the mentioned projects include:
• Development of an optimized UAV platform using innovative aerodynamic and propulsion technologies
• Greek civil UAV
• Low-emission aircraft engine technologies
• Technological innovations for ultra-low emission aircraft engines for 2050 and beyond
• Design and development of UAV systems
• Autonomous portable multi-role UAV system
• Development of an innovative UAV platform for delivering aid and essential supplies to remote islands
• Certification of fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAVs
• Low-observability UAV for ISR missions
• Innovative composite materials to reduce aerodynamic drag and electromagnetic radiation response in aerospace applications
• Greek UAV for transport missions flying at very low altitudes over water
• Cooperative intelligent transport system supported by UAVs
• Autonomous robotic UAV system for navigation in inaccessible indoor spaces and human detection
• AUTH subcontract research for the Hellenic Aerospace Industry
• Optimization methods using computational fluid dynamics applied to innovative UAV platforms.
These projects have been funded by national and European sources, as well as industrial entities in the aerospace sector. He has also filed a European patent application for the configuration of an innovative UAV. Regarding his published work, he has authored 38 scientific publications and presentations in the field of aeronautics, including 11 articles in international journals and 27 conference papers.
Zacharis Zacharias
Zacharias Zacharis is a physicist as well as an electrical and computer engineer with a master's degree in Electronics and a PhD in antennas and propagation modeling for mobile communications. He is a member of the laboratory teaching staff at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has participated as a principal investigator and coordinator in numerous European research projects related to 5G and 6G wireless communications, such as Horizon 2020 MOTOR5G, Horizon 2020 RECOMBINE, and Horizon Europe 6G-ICARUS. He is the author of 82 articles in scientific journals, 109 papers in international conferences, one national patent, five book chapters, and one book. He has served and continues to serve as an external supervisor for 11 doctoral theses at universities in Denmark and the United Kingdom. Currently, he is a visiting researcher at the University of Huddersfield in the UK. He is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece and a senior member of IEEE and URSI. He is also a member of eight editorial boards of scientific journals and eight scientific committees of international conferences. Recently, he was elected Chair of the Electron Devices/Microwave Theory and Techniques/Antennas and Propagation Joint Chapter of the IEEE Greece Section. His current research interests include antenna and microwave circuit design and optimization, signal processing in smart antennas, beamforming techniques, direction-of-arrival estimation algorithms, development of evolutionary optimization algorithms, and neural networks.
Emmanouil Tasdoulias
Dr. Eng. Tsardoulias G. Emmanouil obtained his doctorate and engineering diploma from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece, in 2013 and 2007 respectively. His research interests are focused on Cyber-Physical Systems, Internet of Things, autonomous Robots, no/low-code tools and platforms, and applied ML. He has worked as a research associate and/or engineer in GRNET, the Informatics and Telematics Institute (ITI) of CERTH and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), in several EU- and National-funded projects. He currently is the technical manager of the Intelligent Systems and Software Engineering group (ISSEL) and the PANDORA research team, as well as the scientific responsible for the Vroom research team. His work has been published in over 75 journal articles, book chapters, and conference publications.