Soft Materials and Surfaces

I’m a Professor (Chair in Soft Materials and Surfaces) with the Institute for Materials and Processes, in the School of Engineering. Formerly a Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics in Collège de France (Paris, France, 1998-2000); I hold a B.Sc. in Physics (Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1992) and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science (Chemistry Department & Materials Science Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, 1997).

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Since joining the University of Edinburgh in 2000, I have transitioned from Lecturer to Professor, leading an interdisciplinary research group at the interface of materials science and mechanical engineering. With over two decades of academic leadership,  I have secured approximately £8M in research and industrial funding and currently lead an advanced AFM facility at the University of Edinburgh. A defining feature of my career is a deep-seated, user-oriented approach that bridges the gap between fundamental research and industrial application. I have attracted over £1.5M in direct industrial funding from world-leading partners—including Michelin, SABIC, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, WES, and Greencoat UK Wind—to tackle complex materials science and engineering challenges.

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I am a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP), a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (CEng MIMechE).

 

I served as Head of the Research Institute for Materials and Processes for a full 5-year term (2014-2019) and as Deputy Head from 2019 to Feb. 2026; I currently serve as Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering. (since 2024).

 

​See also:

• School of Engineering Staff Profile

• University of Edinburgh Research Explorer Web entry