Research & Studies Coordinator
Dr. Panagiotis Kalaitzis
He got his bachelor degree from the School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He continued his studies at the Department of Horticulture, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute at Chania where he acquired the DSPU in Protected Crops. Afterwards, he served as a research assistant in an EU-funded project at the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (IMBB) at Heraklion for a year. He was then awarded a USDA-ARS, USA fellowship for PhD studies at the interdisciplinary program on Molecular & Cell Biology (MOCB program) at the University of Maryland – College Park, USA. His PhD work focused on the isolation and characterization of polygalacturonases (PG) and cellulases from tomato abscission zones, where he cloned the first plant abscission PG. He then spent one and a half year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, University of Maryland working on the molecular basis of hypoxic response in plants, before becoming Studies/Reseach Coordinator at the Department of Horticultural Genetics & Biotechnology at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute at Chania. He has more than 20 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and 300 citations. He coordinated 14 EU- and Nationally-funded research, technology and development projects.
Read the full CVResearch Associates
Mr. Theodore Spanos, MSc
He was born in Gjirokaster and studied Agronomy at the Polytechnic University of Korça, Albania. He then enrolled at the Department of Horticultural Science & Technology of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute at Chania with a fellowship and obtained an MSc degree in Horticulture. He worked as a young researcher on a funded research project on cotton molecular biology and since 2000 is a research technician at the Department of Horticultural Genetics & Biotechnology working on qualitative and quantitative GMO detection and on gene expression studies of horticultural crops.
Mr. George Naxakis , (BSc, MPhil)He studied Natural Sciences in the University of Athens (1975) and he then followed an MPhil program (1977-1981) on Biochemistry in Sussex University (UK). He worked as Laboratory Assistant in the Nuclear Research Centre of Democritus (Athens) specialising in immunological techniques and high resolution laboratory apparatus (1975). He is familiar with immunological methods of double diffusion, nuclei isolation, sucrose gradient centrifugation, liquid chromatography, RNA extraction, in vivo and in vitro RNA labelling, RNA and protein electrophoresis techniques. Between 1986-1992, he worked as biochemist in automated testing and analysis of enzymes, lipids, electrolytes, hormones, protein electrophoresis, drug levels in blood, as well as tests that require application of ELISA method (Biochemistry Department, General Hospital, Chania). Currently he specialises in essential oils analysis, methylesters, sugars with gas and liquid chromatography, gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. He has authored 10 articles in international scientific journals.
Project Research Associates
Mrs Maria Manioudaki, PhD
She was born in Aghios Nickolaos, Crete and got her bachelor degree from the Department of Chemistry, University of Crete with focus in Analytical Chemistry. She continued her postgraduate studies at the Chemistry and Pharmacy interdepartmental masters program at the University of Patras and obtained her M.Sc. degree with specialization in Medicinal Chemistry, with distinction. She then worked at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) at the Foundation of Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) to obtain her Ph.D. in Bioinformatics. Her thesis focused on the development of computational tools to elucidate regulatory mechanisms in yeast. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Horticultural Genetics and Biotechnology of M.A.I.Ch working on the analysis of large-scale experimental data and the computational characterization of molecular pathways under hypoxia and salt stress in plants.
Mr Nikos Petrakis, Ph. D.
He was born in Chania and in 2002 got his bachelor degree in Chemistry from University of Crete. He then enrolled the “Synthesis and Isolation of Natural Products with Biological Activity” Master program, department’s of Chemistry, University of Crete, conducting research in Antioxidants Isolated from sage (Salvia Fruticosa). In 2004 he was accepted as a ph. D. candidate at department of Chemistry, University of Crete, from where he got his ph. D. degree in 2009. His research was focused in mitochondrial protein targeting and was conducted in the laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry of Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), in Foundation of Research and Technology in Heraklion, Crete. In 2010 he joined the Department of Horticultural Genetics and Biotechnology of M.A.I.Ch..
Research Assistants
Mr. Sotiris Fragostefanakis, PhD CandidateHe was born in Athens on 1979 and got his bachelor degree from the school of Agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He then enrolled at the Department of Horticultural Genetics & Biotechnology at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute at Chania getting his Master of Science degree. He is now a PhD candidate at the School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki conducting his research at MAICh on post harvest biotechnology on the functional role of prolyl 4 hydroxylases in the developmental program of tomato ripening.
Mr Christos Bazakos, PhD candidateChristos Bazakos was born in Thessaloniki on 1982 and got his bachelor degree from the school of Agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He then enrolled at the Department of Horticultural Genetics & Biotechnology at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute at Chania getting his Master of Science degree in 2007 with specialisation on DNA-based methods for the authentication of olive oil. He is now a PhD candidate at the School of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki conducting his research at MAICh on molecular response of olive under abiotic stress.
Administrative Support
Mrs. Anastasia Konstandinidi
Last update: 03 of February, 2012