Sofoklis Sotiriou has worked for a number of years at CERN, NCSR "Demokritos" and the University of Athens. He has prepared two doctoral theses in High Energy Astrophysics and in Science Teaching. Since 1998 he has been in charge of the Research and Development Department of Ellinogermaniki Agogi. He has designed, implemented and coordinated a large series of research projects on the use of advanced technological applications in education and training. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, the network of Experts of the European Network for Distance Education, a member of the Board of Directors of the European Network of Museums and Science Centres, while he has served as a member of the committee for the design of the Science and Society program for the 7th Framework Program. He has authored more than 100 articles, 150 scientific publications and 45 autonomous books (with 2347 citations, h-index 21)).
His full CV is available at http://www.ellinogermaniki.gr/sotiriou
Pavlos Koulouris is a graduate of Philology with a specialization in Linguistics (University of Athens, 1994). He has completed postgraduate studies and research at the Institute of Education - University of London, UK (1996-2001), specializing in the field of new technologies in education, but also broadening his research interests to areas of applied linguistics, social semiotics, science learning and lifelong learning. His work experience (1997-2001 in UK, 2001-present in Greece) includes teaching in linguistic and humanities fields and academic and applied research in the fields of educational innovation and lifelong learning. Since 2004, he has been working at the Research and Development Department of Hellenic-German Education, with his main research interests being lifelong learning as a catalyst for development in remote areas, the use of new technologies in language learning and science education, the organization of digital educational content and the synergies between formal and informal learning.
Angelos Lazoudis graduated from the Department of Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1994). In 2000, he obtained his Masters degree in Physics from Temple University in Philadelphia, USA. During his postgraduate studies, he worked at Temple University Hospital conducting research in the field of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
In 2005, he was awarded a PhD in Quantum Optics/Spectroscopy by the Department of Physics of Temple University for his thesis on: "Electromagnetically induced transparency in diatomic molecules and spectroscopic applications". During his studies, he taught undergraduate physics courses (1997-2003) and laboratories (2003-2005). From 2005 until the end of 2007 he worked as a Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Technology and Research in Heraklion, Crete. He was a member of Dr. von Klitzing's group with the main research focus on Bose-Einstein condensates.
Since December 2007 he has been a member of the Research and Development Department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi responsible for research projects related to the creation of educational libraries and the applications of new technologies (wearable computing systems, augmented reality, etc.) in the teaching of natural sciences.
Mr. Georgios Mavromanolakis is a PhD in Physics from the University of Athens, specializing in high-energy experimental particle physics and the development of detection systems. From 2003 to 2008 he was a researcher at the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge in the UK. From 2007 to 2009 he worked at the Fermilab research center in Chicago, USA. From 2009 to 2012 he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland. In the academic year 2012 he was a visiting professor at the University of Cyprus where he taught in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Since 2012, he has been based in Greece and works at the Department of Research and Development of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi as a researcher and scientific manager of projects of the European Commission for education, science and technology. Indicatively, he has served as national coordinator and implementation manager of the European projects "Golab - Global online science labs for inquiry learning at school", "Ark of Inquiry - Raising youth awareness to responsible research and innovation", "Schools study earthquakes", Icaros - Interdisciplinary and collaborative thematic learning of technology and science", Envisage - Enhance virtual learning spaces using applied gaming in education".
Ekaterini Riviou is a graduate of the MSc in E-Learning, the Department of Digital Systems of the University of Piraeus and the Graduate School of Pedagogical and Technological Education. She has worked at the Laboratory of Advanced Electronic Services for the Knowledge Society (EPYK), the Institute of Informatics and Telematics, the National Center for Research and Technological Development (EKETA) and as an external collaborator with the Institute of Computer Technology & Publications "Diofantos", the National Network for Research and Technology, the Research Center of the University of Piraeus as well as the Open University of the Netherlands. Since 2011 she has been a member of the Department of Research and Development of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi. She has designed, implemented and coordinated a series of research projects on the use of advanced technological applications in education and training. Since 2003 she has participated and coordinated Research and Development projects in H2020, IEE, CIP, eContent Plus, eTen, Education & Culture ELearning Programme and Lifelong Learning. She has attended and participated as a trainer in seminars and workshops on Informatics in Education and has published in national and international conferences. She also has teaching experience in the field of ICT in primary education as well as in vocational training institutions.
Nikos Zygouritsas has been working in Ellinogermaniki Agogi since May 2014. He graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with a degree in Educational Sciences (Pedagogical Department of Educational Sciences and Preschool Education) and obtained a Master's Degree in Applied Informatics in Educational Sciences and Psychology from the Free University of Brussels (Educational Technology). He worked as a researcher in the Laboratory of Educational Technology and Applied Research in Psychology at the Free University of Brussels (1999-2000) and as an assistant in the online courses of the Educational Technology Department at the University of Mons. For three years he worked as a Professor of Informatics in the secondary school of the European School III (Ixelles) in Brussels (2000 - 2003). Since 2003, he has been working as a scientific associate of Greek and international organizations in many European and national research programs implementing new technologies in various learning environments, digital repositories, e-learning and lifelong learning and training.
Dimitrakopoulou Dimitra is a graduate of the Department of Greek Philology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has completed postgraduate studies in teaching subjects using new technologies at the School of Philosophy of Athens. She taught at the primary school of the Hellenic-Germanic Education for 11 years. Since 2013, she has been working in the research and development department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi, participating in various European projects related to the design of educational scenarios using new technologies, as well as the implementation of innovative tools and teaching practices in the classroom.
Emmanuel Chaniotakis was born in 1988 in Athens. He graduated from the Department of Physics of the University of Athens in 2012 and completed his Postgraduate Studies in 2015 in Experimental High Energy Physics. He has been working since February 2015 at the Research and Development Department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi with the main objective of creating and implementing innovative educational scenarios in the classroom of Physics at all levels of education using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) using the Inquiry Learning Model. In the context of his work, he is involved in the training of teachers in teaching natural sciences through ICT, the analysis of educational data, the design and organization of summer schools and the organization of educational competitions.
Thalia Tsaknia is a graduate of the Department of Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a master's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Systems from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Since 2007, she has been working at Ellinogermaniki Agogi, having extensive experience in the design and implementation of STEM programs, skills development and environmental education. She is the author of the environmental education books used in the Ellinogermaniki Agogi school and has also worked to train and support teachers in the use of new technologies and the implementation of STEM activities. She has participated in numerous European Union research programs for science education, focusing on the use of advanced technologies and learning methods (augmented and virtual reality, gamification and storytelling) and the development of educational materials to support the learning process. Her research activity focuses on the design of programs and activities that connect formal with informal and non-formal education, on the training and support of teachers, on the utilization of new technologies and the application of various learning methods in the educational process (inquiry based learning, project based learning, collaborative learning), on the development and integration of green skills in the school context and on the approach of the open school as a living lab on sustainable development issues.
Dimitris Koulentianos is a graduate of the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He then obtained a master's degree in Physics from Uppsala University in Sweden. In 2019, he received a doctorate in Molecular Physics for his thesis on “Double inner-shell vacancies in molecules”. His doctorate was carried out as a cotutelle between the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the Sorbonne University in Paris. After completing his doctoral studies, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, USA (2019-2021), as well as at the Center for Free Electron Laser (CFEL) Science of the DESY laboratory in Hamburg, Germany (2021-2023). He has authored and co-authored 30 scientific articles published in international peer-reviewed journals and has 140 citations. Since May 2023, he has been a member of the research and development department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi and participates in projects related to the integration of artificial intelligence in education, with regard to natural science and mathematics subjects.
Maria Sotiropoulou is Environmental Scientist holding a PhD in Physics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2017). She conducted her doctoral research at the National Center for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’ under a four-year fellowship, specializing in environmental radioactivity and environmental risk assessment. With over 13 years of international experience in research and academic teaching, her professional background features appointments at the National Observatory of Athens, NCSR ‘Demokritos’, and CERN. Her core expertise centers on environmental health, sustainability, and advanced risk modeling. Her work effectively bridges technical scientific proficiency with project management and stakeholder engagement to advance sustainable development objectives. Since March 2026, she has been a member of the Research and Development Department at Ellinogermaniki Agogi, participating in EU-funded initiatives focused on adapting educational systems to proactively respond to climate change and environmental challenges.
Manolis Giampouras is a graduate of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds an MSc in Environmental Sciences from Newcastle University, United Kingdom. He completed his doctoral research as a Marie Curie fellow at the University of Granada, Spain, in the field of Earth Sciences.
He has worked in European and international research programmes, including projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). He has conducted research and taught at university level on topics related to environmental assessment, geosciences and sustainability, participating in international research and academic environments.
Since 2026, he has been a member of the Research and Development Department of Ellinogermaniki Agogi, contributing to national and European projects focusing on STEM education, innovative educational practices and the integration of advanced digital technologies into dynamic learning ecosystems.
In 2020-2022, Thomas Economou worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Computer Science at VinUniversity in Vietnam. From 2015 to 2020, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. In 2019, he was among the top five nominees for the "Best Professor" award for 2019, as voted by students. In the context of postdoctoral research, he worked at the Department of Physics of the University of Crete from 2012 to 2015 and in 2009 at the Center for Brazilian Physics Research (CBPF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2008, he completed his PhD in Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and Bioinformatics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in Greece. His PhD thesis received the “Best PhD Thesis” award for that year. His journey in academia began with a master’s degree in General Relativity in 2003 from the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena in Germany.
Maria Panagopoulou is a graduate of the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) with a specialization in Astrophysics. She holds a Master's degree entitled "Teaching and Public Understanding of Natural Sciences and Digital Technologies" from the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of NKUA. Her research interests focus on Astronomy education, the History and Nature of Science in education as well as non-formal forms of learning and the cooperation of such structures with the school environment. Since January 2022, she has been a member of the Research and Development Department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi.
Petros Stergiopoulos graduated from the Athens Conservatory with a Diploma in Pianist with Distinction (classes of D. Fotopoulos and Urs Reutimann) in 2002. As a professor of Flute & Chamber Music with diverse and long experience in Flute pedagogy, he taught both in secondary education and in the private sector. As a member of the Research and Development Department of Ellinogermaniki Agogi, he focuses on researching the performative dimension of Music as an educational act through the use of innovative ICT in distance learning of musical instruments. As a coordinator of live multimedia streams of music education, he specializes in the development of "partnership" practices in interactive environments.
Aspasia Michanou is a graduate of the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Ioannina and holds an MSc from Newcastle University, United Kingdom (2001) with a specialization in Information Systems in Archaeology. She has twenty years of experience in the management of cultural projects, in conducting excavations and in the utilization of digital technologies for the promotion of cultural heritage. During her ten-year tenure at the Ministry of Culture, she was responsible for the design and implementation of complex cultural projects of the Operational Program “Information Society”, which included, among others, the creation of educational multimedia publications for museums and archaeological sites, the development of portable visitor information systems and the upgrading of the digital cultural hub “Odysseus”. She has also carried out archaeological supervision on large infrastructure projects, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. Her research interests focus on the interdisciplinary coupling of culture, informatics and education, with a particular emphasis on the application of cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and innovative digital tools, to enhance educational and cultural practices. Since 2025, she has been a member of the Research and Development Department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi.
Lefteris Mousoyiannis is a graduate of the University of Wales, Swansea with a degree in Law (LL.B. in Law). He subsequently completed his postgraduate degree with a specialization in Commercial and Maritime Law (LL.M. in Commercial and Maritime Law). He has fifteen years of experience in managing legal and notarial procedures as well as organizing work teams with a focus on optimizing overall performance. He has worked as a member of the advisory group of the Ministry of Press on issues of organizing and modernizing information media and participating in European programs, while his work experience includes, among others, the evaluation of texts for publication from a daily electronic newspaper. Since 2020, he has been working in the Research and Development department of the Ellinogermaniki Agogi as a member of the team of financial and legal management of European Projects.
Thomas Mazarakos was born in Athens, studied Graphic Arts and worked professionally for a decade in the field of design and print production. Since 2000, he has been involved in IT, focusing on web design and the creation of websites and applications.