Research Team
Research and Development Department
Dr. Efthymios Lytras has worked at EYDAP for 32 consecutive years and currently holds the position of Deputy Director of Strategy and Innovation. He holds a degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Mining Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. He has extensive experience in quality control and water and wastewater treatment as head of chemical laboratories, quality management systems and environmental technology and has over 50 conference papers and publications in scientific journals. He has represented EYDAP in numerous submissions of research proposals and research projects of the European Union. His knowledge and experience include water management, wastewater and energy regulatory issues as well as developing and managing corporate strategy assessment and implementation tools. He represents EYDAP in its participation in national and international networks of water supply and sewerage companies. In addition, he has been one of the oldest lead assessors of the National Accreditation System for 20 years.
Dr Stelios Samios is the head of the R&D Department of EYDAP. Dr Samios has been working in EYDAP for 30 years and is an experienced specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities industry. He holds a PhD focused on Environmental Engineering from the Aegean university, an MBA, as well as a certificate in AI. He is skilled in Water Treatment, Quality Management, Environmental Awareness, and Water Resource Management while he has proved analytical skills. He has worked on quality assurance in the quality control department. Dr Stelios Samios is a benchmarking specialist involved in the selection of economic and financial, operational, employee and physical assets data and calculation of suitable performance indicators for the water industry. He is a co-author of more than 15 publications in water-related fields.
Dr. Theodora Paramana is a researcher in the R&D Department of Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP), responsible for the implementation and coordination of EU and national research projects. She holds a degree in Geology from the Faculty of Geology & Geoenvironment of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), an MSc and a PhD in Oceanography (NKUA). She is experienced in monitoring and management of the marine and coastal environment, and in integrated water management. Her main research interests include marine and water policy, technologies and monitoring methods for water and wastewater treatment, monitoring and chemical behaviour study of nutrients and heavy metals in the aquatic environment, maritime spatial planning. Dr. Paramana acted as a consultant of the Special Secretariate for Water (SSW) of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy on the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (2012-2017), as well as an expert representing the SSW in the MSFD Working Group DIKE. She has participated in several scientific projects, she has made announcements in numerous national and international conferences and is an author of several scientific papers published in international peer reviewed journals.
Dr Giorgos Katsouras holds a PhD in Oceanography from the Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean (2009). He studied Chemistry (B.Sc., 2001) and holds a M.Sc. in Oceanography (2005) from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Since 2016, he is a Researcher at R&D Department of Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company SA (EYDAP), responsible for the coordination, organization and supervision of EU programs. His main research interests/activities are: a) Deploying inventive and effective systems, technologies, and monitoring methods for the treatment of wastewater and water b) Study of ‘forever chemicals’ (e.g. trace metals, PFAS) in the aquatic environment and their distributions in polluted coastal areas, river-estuary systems, lagoons and groundwaters), c) Wastewater, Water and Marine Strategy Framework Directive Implementation, d) Analytical environmental chemistry and Organic biogeochemistry. Throughout his career, he has been involved in 20 EU and National funded research projects, collaborating with various universities and institutions including HCMR, University of Athens, and EYDAP. His research endeavors have encompassed a diverse range of projects, providing him with valuable experience, confidence, and a broad spectrum of skills. He has authored 11 publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to over 70 conference proceedings.
Dr. Vasiliki Polychniatou is a Chemical Engineer with long-term experience in the field of research and development. Since 2016, she has been working at the Water and Sewerage Company of the Capital (EYDAP S.A.) as a Collaborating Researcher. In this role, she has undertaken the technical and financial management of internal and European programs, utilizing funding tools such as FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe and NSRF. Among others, she has contributed to projects such as FIWARE4WATER, NEXTGEN, UPWATER, and HEAVYMOFS.Vasiliki has significant experience in writing and managing funding proposals, as well as in managing communication actions.Her research activity includes participation in European programs concerning the circular economy and sustainable water resources management. She holds a PhD from the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens and a Master’s degree in “Water Resources Science and Technology”. She has extensive experience in analytical methods and specialized software.Her work is characterized by innovation and commitment to achieving sustainable solutions in water resources management, while she has been distinguished for the effective management of complex projects and the development of partnerships.
Dr. Christos Pouliaris has been a researcher at the Research and Development (R&D) Department of EYDAP since 2024, responsible for the implementation and coordination of European and national research programs. He is a graduate of the Department of Geology & Geoenvironment of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds an M.Sc. (University of Birmingham, United Kingdom) and a Dr.-Ing. (Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany) in Hydrogeology. His main research interests focus on the simulation of hydrological processes in aquifers, the environmental monitoring of hydrological systems and water resources management. He has participated in 12 European and nationally funded research projects, collaborating with various universities and institutions, such as the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and EYDAP. He has participated in a total of 12 publications in reputable scientific journals and more than 20 conference presentations.
Anthi Yfanti is a chemist with an MSc in Oceanography and management of the marine environment and currently a PhD candidate in Environmental Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her doctoral research focuses on the behaviour and distribution of mercury (Hg) in marine environment, particularly in seawater and sediments. Through this work, she investigates pollution dynamics, including the spatial distribution and fate of mercury in coastal ecosystems over extended timescales. In the context of her doctoral research, she has developed a strong foundation in environmental monitoring methodologies, particularly in the evaluation of pollution levels in marine and coastal environments. She collaborates as an associated researcher with EYDAP, contributing to European and National funded research projects, which focus on water quality and the protection of the marine environment. Her work involves field sampling, laboratory analysis, and data analysis, providing support for the implementation of research projects.
Mrs Eleni Drosou worked on secondment at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, in the Special Service of Public Works EYDE/AELMP, for the project of Biological Treatment of Psittaleia from 1984 to 1988. From 1988 to today, he has been working at EYDAP, as a secretary and in particular at the Research and Development Department. He studied Business Administration and is also a graduate of the School of English Language Secretaries.
Mrs Dionysia Derlere is a graduate of the Sivitanide Technical School. He worked at EYDAP from 1990 to 1992 in the Water Absorption Division and from 1992 to 2004 in the General Directorate of Water Supply of EYDAP. From 2004 to 2015, Mrs Derlere seconded to the Ministry of the Interior. From 2015 to the present, she has worked at EYDAP, as a foreman of construction projects and in particular in the Research and Development Department.
Research Team Dr. Giannis Papaefstathiou
Dr. Giannis Papaefstathiou is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He completed his Ph.D. in 2002 at the University of Patras. His postdoctoral research was conducted at the University of Iowa from 2002 to 2004. His research interests focus on the development of synthetic strategies for the isolation of new functional inorganic and hybrid inorganic-organic materials (Metal-Organic Frameworks, MOFs, polynuclear metal complexes) within the fields of Coordination Chemistry, Supramolecular Chemistry, Crystal Engineering, Molecular Magnetism, and Materials Chemistry. He has extensive research experience in solution chemistry synthesis, solid-state synthesis (solid-state chemistry/mechanochemistry), hydrothermal synthesis, ion-exchange studies for porous materials, liquid-phase adsorption, single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations, photoluminescence studies, and ion-exchange of metal-organic polymeric complexes, as well as in various characterization techniques such as crystallography (solving and refining crystal structures, topological analysis of polymeric periodic networks), thermal analysis, various spectroscopic techniques, electron microscopy, and more.
Alexios Plessas joined the research team of Professor Giannis Papaefstathiou in May 2014 as an undergraduate second-year student. He obtained his degree from the Department of Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in December 2017. He then continued his postgraduate studies, earning his Master’s degree in Inorganic Chemistry in February 2019. Subsequently, he pursued his Ph.D. in Chemistry, which he completed in December 2022. He then continued to work in the same research group as a postdoctoral researcher until May 2024. His research activities have varied over the years but focus on the synthesis and characterization of inorganic complexes, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and the study of their magnetic properties, their use as sensors for electrochemical glucose determination in epithelial tissue, and their ability to adsorb heavy metal ions from water. Additionally, he has worked as a crystallographer, solving crystallographic structures using X-ray diffraction on powders and single crystals, for the needs of his own projects and Professor Papaefstathiou’s research group, as well as for other faculty members of the Chemistry Department.
He currently lives and works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada.
Panagiotis Oikonomopoulos joined the team of Professor Giannis Papaefstathiou in May 2015. He is a chemist and received his degree in 2016 from the Department of Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He returned to the University in 2018 for postgraduate studies, which he completed in February 2020. Recently (October 2024), he completed his doctoral thesis, which focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the aim of utilizing them both as modifiers for electrochemical sensors and as adsorbents for heavy metals from water.
Pantelis Kotidis completed his undergraduate studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2020. During his studies, he joined Professor Giannis Papaefstathiou’s research team in 2019, working on his bachelor’s thesis, which involved the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) using complexes as precursor reagents. He continued his studies at the same university and laboratory (2020), working on his master’s thesis, which focused on the mechanochemical synthesis of MOFs based on Zr(IV) clusters. His research continues in Professor Papaefstathiou’s laboratory, starting his doctoral thesis in 2022, with a focus on the synthesis of MOFs capable of removing heavy metals from aqueous environments.
Research Team Dr. Theodore Lazarides
Dr. Theodore Lazarides received his PhD in 2005 from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (under the supervision of Professor Michael D. Ward) on the photophysical devices of supramolecular systems based on Ru(II), Os(II) and Re(I). He continued his research at the University of Sheffield on the synthesis and study of molecular dyads in which a metal ion of the d-domain and one of the f-domain coexist to sensitize the luminescence of the latter in the near infrared. After his postdoctoral research on photocatalytic hydrogen production at the universities of Rochester, USA, and Crete, he worked as a Lecturer at the University of Ioannina before moving to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2014. Since 2022, he is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and his research activity includes the synthesis and study of (1) metalorganic frameworks for sorption and detection applications of environmental pollutants such as heavy metals and nitroaromatic compounds 2) lanthanide organometallic complexes with visible and near-infrared emission and (3) luminescent complexes of the d and f domains for biological applications. Dr. Lazaridis’ research work includes 60 articles in international journals with over 3500 citations and an H index of 32 and over 20 presentations at international conferences in the field of Inorganic Chemistry.
Nikolaos Pliatsios studied at the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from 2013 to 2018, when he completed his undergraduate studies. He chose to work on Chemical Synthesis Biochemistry and Bioapplications. As part of his thesis, he dealt with the synthesis of homoleptic and heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes with diphosphines and diimines ligands of extended conjugation. In 2018, he attended the postgraduate program in Synthetic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Applications of the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he carried out the synthesis and study of photophysical properties, as well as complexes of photocatalytic activity of Cu(I) with heterocyclic thioamides and phosphines. In 2024 he obtained a master’s degree in Food Quality Control from the University of Western Macedonia. From 2022 until today, he has been working on his doctoral thesis at the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki under the supervision of Associate Professor Lazaridis Theodoros. The subject of this thesis is the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks for the detection and/or binding of heavy metal ions from contaminated waters.
Sofia Alexandra Tsoni works on her PhD thesis at the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, under the supervision of Associate Professor Mr. Theodoros Lazaridis. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of organic ligands, as well as the luminescent complexes of sectors d and/or f of the periodic table. In 2019, she completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a grade of 8.21 and continued with postgraduate studies in Advanced Molecular Synthesis at Imperial College London, where she obtained her degree with Distinction. Sofia Alexandra Tsoni has also worked as a Formulation Chemist at the research company SeraNovo in the Netherlands and at Pfizer as a Chemistry Data Quality Engineer. In summary, she has interdisciplinary research experience (6+ years) in a variety of fields including organic and inorganic synthesis, as well as bioinorganic chemistry.
Research Team Dr. Emmanouil Manou
Dr. Emmanouil Manos is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Ioannina. He completed his PhD in 2003 at the University of Ioannina, under the supervision of Professor Th. Kampanos. His postdoctoral research was carried out in the group of Professor Mercouris Kanatzidis at Michigan State and Northwestern University, from 2004 to the end of 2008, and in the group of Associate Professor Anastasios Tasiopoulos at the University of Cyprus (2009-2012). His research interests are focused on the development of new functional inorganic and hybrid inorganic-organic materials. He has research experience in various areas, including bioinorganic chemistry, polyoxometallates, solid-state and hydrothermal synthesis methods, ion exchange of metal chalcogenides, as well as synthesis, liquid/gas sorption, single-crystal-to-single-crystal exchanges, luminescence, and the study of ion exchange properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks. He also has expertise in various characterization techniques, including single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, various spectroscopic methods, and electron microscopy.
Dr. Dimitrios Evangelou joined Professor Emmanuel Manou’s team in February 2019. He is a Chemist and received his degree in 2019 from the Department of Chemistry of the University of Ioannina. He then received his master’s degree in June 2021. He recently completed his PhD in September 2024. His research includes the synthesis and characterization of novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on trivalent metal ions (In, Al, Fe, La, etc.) and the study of their sorption and luminescence properties for the removal of heavy metals from water.
Nikolaos Anastasiadis became a member of Prof. Manos’ laboratory group in July 2022. He is a Chemist and received his degree in 2018 from the Department of Chemistry of the School of Sciences of the University of Ioannina. His master’s studies were carried out under the supervision of Prof. Ioannis Plakatouras at the University of Ioannina and were completed in 2021. His doctoral research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) based on multiple tetravalent metals (Ce(IV) & Zr(IV)) with newly synthesized and commercially available organic substituents, as well as on the study of their properties as sorbent materials for the removal of heavy metals from water.
