Simeon Agathopoulos: Coordinator and Chairperson of Candidacy

• Associate Professor of Ceramics Technology
  Laboratory of Ceramics and Composite Materials
  Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Ioannina
• ex-President (currently Secretary) of the Greek (Hellenic) Society of Biomechanics
• President of the International Scientific Committee of High Temperature Capillarity

• President of the Greek (Hellenic) Society of Biomechanics
  
  www.agathopoulos.org

Prof. S. Agathopoulos is 48 years old.

He has Diploma in Chemistry (University of Patras, Greece, 1988) and Ph.D. of Chemical Engineering (University of Patras, Greece, 1994).

His Ph.D. is the first Ph.D. in Greece on Bioceramics. It was carried out in the framework of the first European Project on Bioceramics (EUREKA).

His research is exclusively dedicated to Ceramics and Bioceramics. In particular, after his PhD, he had being working as Post-Doctoral Researcher (always under prestigious European, such as Marie Currie, and National fellowships) in

• the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission in the Netherlands (1994-1996),
• the Department of Ceramics and Glass Engineering in the University of Aveiro in Portugal (1999-2006), and
• the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the University of Ioannina in Greece (2006-2008).

In 2008, he was elected as Assistant Professor of “Ceramics Technology” in the department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University of Ioannina in Greece (he undertook his duties in 2009) and promoted to Associate Professor in 2012.
Note: There are officially only 3 Professors (including him) in Greece in the specific field of “Ceramics Technology”.
He is member of the Laboratory of Ceramics and Composite Materials (CCL).

His scientific performance is briefly outlined in more than 170 scientific articles and more than 250 presentations in international (mainly) and national scientific conferences and lectures, which have been cited more than 2000 times (h-index = 24). He has systematically participated in many Bioceramics conferences and many of his papers were (30) presented in these Conferences. He is reviewer of more than 30 Scientific Journals and member of many Scientific Societies (international and national) of Ceramics and Biomaterials: Currently he is President of the Greek Society of Biomechanics and Secretary of International Scientific Committee of the High Temperature Capillarity. His biography data are summarized in his personal web page at www.agathopoulos.org.

His has experience at organizing big conferences with a great success: (a) the 6th International Conference on High Temperature Capillarity “HTC-2009” (Athens, May 2009, 150 participants), and (b) the 4th National Conference of the Greek Society of Biomechanics (Ioannina, June 2010, 150 participants). He has also organized many scientific meetings, workshops and sessions in the University of Ioannina (with many participants, more than 150).

His interest at bringing high level scientific events in Greece (conferences, important visitors etc.) made the Administration and the Rector of the University to assign him the duties of Erasmus-departmental coordinator and other similar public relations. Recently (in summer 2014), he had actively helped the initiatives for hosting in Greece two important scientific events: the EUROMAT Conference of 2017 and the Conference of the European Society of Biometarials (ESB) in 2017.

His research:

His research focuses on bioceramics,

• of all types (calcium phosphates, alumina-zirconia-titania-silica, glasses and glass-ceramics),
• in all forms (bulk, porous, composites and coatings), and
• at all stages (production, characterization, application).

He has produced novel biomaterials, specifically
(a) hydrothermally transformed shells and cuttlefish-bones (our publications in Bone etc. have received a lot of citations),
(b) mica-based glass-ceramics (which are under clinical testing as dental implants in Uzbekistan), and
(c) novel lithium disilicates, produced with no nucleating agents.

Now, he is developing

• novel polymer-ceramic (nano-gels with nano-ceramics) composites for potential use in orthopaedic applications as well as for drug delivery and tissue engineering constructs for remodeling damaged tissues of myocardium after heart infarction, and
• novel protocols for preparing strong interfaces between dentin and ceramics (e.g. Empress and Imax) in dental applications.

This research is carried out with a close collaboration with the University Hospital (the Clinics of Orthopedics and Cardiology). Our novel biomaterials are tested physicochemically, biologically (with in vitro cell tests) and in vivo (implanted in rats).