A biochemist by training, I have been working for years on the folding, assembly and structure of natural fibrous proteins. I subsequently got interested in using these proteins as models for the design of new fibrous materials, and I continued on this direction since my appointment at the Materials Science and Technology Department at the University of Crete.
I am particularly focusing on how to translate fundamental structural knowledge from natural fibrous proteins into concrete integration strategies and applications in the area of fibrous bio-nano-materials.
These efforts rely not only on biochemical and structural methodologies, but also on the fostering of interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues from other disciplines (eg laser science) that develop techniques to manipulate, assemble and position these materials in a controlled manner.
Education
- Habilitation, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France, 2003
- Post-Doctoral, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A, 1987-1991
- PhD Biochemistry- Enzymology, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, 1986
- B.S. Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 1981
Career
- Professor of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Greece
- Associate Professor of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Greece
- Research Scientist, CNRS (French National Research Center), Ιnstitut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble, France
- Research Scientist, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A.
Interests
- the proteins as biomaterials
- engineering and design of fibrous biomaterials
- self-assembling peptides
- protein folding and assembly
- protein engineering and production
Other
Co-author of a textbook “Plenty of Room for Biology at the Bottom: An Introduction to Bionanotechnology”, 2nd Edition (2013), by Ehud Gazit and Anna Mitraki, ISBN: 978-1-84816-930-2, Imperial College Press (World Scientific Publishing).
Jonathan King’s 80th birthday Festschrift
“Protein Folding and Aggregation, Mentoring, and a Molecular Food Recipe”
https://fnl.mit.edu/protein-folding-and-aggregation-mentoring-and-a-molecular-food-recipe/
(with permission from the MIT Faculty Newsletter)
