I am a Professor of Infectious Diseases and Immunity and serve as the Director of the Vector Immunogenomics and Infection Laboratory at Imperial College London. I earned my PhD from the University of Athens and began my research career at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory as a Marie Curie Fellow and later as a staff scientist. In 2005, I joined Imperial College as a Senior Lecturer, progressing to Reader and then Professor in 2011. Since 2013, I have also been an Adjunct Professor at the Cyprus Institute, where I served as Associate Dean and later as its President. Additionally, I have held visiting professorships at the State University of São Paulo and through a joint research initiative between Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen CDC.

Throughout my career, I have made significant contributions to the fields of insect innate immunity and mosquito-microbe interactions, publishing a series of influential papers that have advanced these areas of study. I played a pioneering role in establishing the field of mosquito functional genomics and contributed to sequencing the genomes of several disease vector mosquitoes. My expertise has enabled me to coordinate numerous international research projects and advise prestigious global organizations.

I hold roles in various committees and institutes and am an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. From 2015 to 2021, I was a Wellcome Trust Investigator, receiving a prestigious award to explore the complex interactions between malaria parasites and their mosquito vectors. Currently, my work focuses on translating this knowledge into the genetic engineering of malaria-resistant mosquitoes, supported by funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These engineered mosquitoes are being developed for use in gene drive strategies aimed at vector population replacement, contributing to the control and elimination of malaria.

My scientific interests also intersect with climate change and health, particularly in the Mediterranean Region and Southern Europe. I contributed to a European Academies Scientific Advisory Council Report and an InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Global Report on climate change and health. Additionally, I have advised the IAP on case studies and participated in the IPCC Special Report pre-scoping on climate and cities.

My dedication to advancing scientific knowledge, addressing global health challenges, and contributing to infectious diseases, innate immunity, and vector biology has established my reputation as a leading figure in the international scientific community.