Dr Sofia Papadaki is a Chemical Engineer and Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Development and Agricultural Engineering at the Agricultural University of Athens. She holds a master’s degree in Energy Management and Environmental Protection Systems and a PhD focusing on biomass valorisation.

Her research focuses on developing sustainable processes for the valorisation of biomass, microalgae and agri-food residues to produce high-value-added products. Specifically, her work encompasses the recovery of bioactive compounds using green extraction technologies, their encapsulation for applications in food and other bio-based products, and the optimisation of food drying and preservation processes. She also undertakes environmental and economic assessments of agri-food and industrial systems, applying Life Cycle Assessment and related sustainability assessment methods.

She has experience in designing and implementing national and European research projects, linking the development of innovative technologies with the principles of the circular bioeconomy and resource efficiency. Her scientific output includes 36 publications indexed in Scopus, which have received 538 citations, with an h-index of 12 (September 2026).

Selected Publications

1. Panagiotopoulou, M., Papadaki, S., Missirli, T., Thanassoulia, I., & Krokida, M. (2022). Exploring the valorisation potential of tomato cultivation by-products in the frame of circular economy. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 13(9), 3957–3972.
2. Akrivou, C., Łękawska-Andrinopoulou, L., Manousiadis, C., Tsimiklis, G., Oikonomopoulou, V., Papadaki, S., Krokida, M., & Amditis, A. (2022). Industrial symbiosis marketplace concept for waste valorization pathways. E3S Web of Conferences, 349, 11005.
3. Panagiotopoulou, M., Papadaki, S., Bagia, H., & Krokida, M. (2022). Valorisation of olive processing waste for the development of value-added products. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 28, 100736.
4. Varvaringos, I., Skourtanioti, E., Letsos, G., Rizoudi, E., Makras, E., Panagiotopoulou, M., Papadaki, S., & Valta, K. (2023). Promoting sustainable fruit and vegetable biowaste management and industrial symbiosis through an innovative web platform. Waste, 1(2), 532–548.
5. Stramarkou, M., Oikonomopoulou, V., Panagiotopoulou, M., Papadaki, S., & Krokida, M. (2023). Sustainable valorisation of peach and apricot waste using green extraction technique with conventional and deep eutectic solvents. Resources, 12(6), 72.
6. Stramarkou, M., Missirli, T.-V., Kyriakopoulou, K., Papadaki, S., Angelis-Dimakis, A., & Krokida, M. (2023). The recovery of bioactive compounds from olive pomace using green extraction processes. Resources, 12(7), 77.
7. Petridi, A., Fragkouli, D.-N., Mejias, L., Paredes, L., Bistue, M., Boukouvalas, C., Kekes, T., Krokida, M., & Papadaki, S. (2024). Assessing the overall sustainability performance of the meat processing industry before and after wastewater valorization interventions: A comparative analysis. Sustainability, 16(22), 9811.
8. Malefaki, A. X., Valanides, N., Manganaris, G. A., DeVetter, L. W., Papadaki, S., Krokida, M., Vyrkou, A., & Angelis-Dimakis, A. (2025). A comprehensive assessment of life cycle environmental impact and economic feasibility of different red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L) cultivation systems. Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy, 11, 100150.
9. Frakolaki, G., Parcharidou, M., Boukouvalas, C., Papadaki, S., Panagiotou, N., Valanides, N., Kokkini, A., Georgiadou, E. C., Milivojević, J., & Tsormpatsidis, E. (2026). Comparative climate change impacts of different strawberry cultivation systems in Southeastern Europe: A study across open-field and protected cultivation systems towards sustainable production models. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 26, 102589.

I am a Civil Engineer graduated from Democritus University of Thrace, with postgraduate studies (MSc) at Swansea University and Imperial College, and received my PhD from the University of Manchester. I have worked in the private sector for more than 15 years, while I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège in Belgium with a European Union scholarship and at the University of Patras with a Ministry of Development scholarship. I am an Associate Professor at the Farm Structures Lab. My research interests are in engineering and technology applications in agricultural construction and agricultural plastics.

I have published more than 58 papers in international Scientific journals, and Stanford University has ranked me in the top 2% of scientists worldwide.

I am a member of editorial boards of international scientific journals such as Artificial Intelligence in Plant Systems (Elsevier), AngiEngineering (MDPI), and Frontiers in Built Environment (Frontiers Media)

Indicative publications:

Maraveas, C.; Kotzabasaki, M.I.; Bayer, I.S.; Bartzanas, T., 2023.Sustainable Greenhouse Covering Materials with Nano- and Micro-Particle Additives for Enhanced Radiometric and Thermal Properties and Performance. AgriEngineering, 5, 1347-1377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering5030085

Maraveas, C., Asteris, P.G., Arvanitis, K.G. et al., 2023.  Application of Bio and Nature-Inspired Algorithms in Agricultural Engineering. Arch Computat Methods Eng 30, 1979–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-022-09857-x

Maraveas, C., 2023. Incorporating Artificial Intelligence Technology in Smart Greenhouses: Current State of the Art. Appl. Sci., 13, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010014

Maraveas C., D. Piromalis, K.G. Arvanitis, T. Bartzanas, D. Loukatos, 2022. Applications of IoT for optimized greenhouse environment and resources management, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Volume 198, 106993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2022.106993

Maraveas C, Bayer IS, Bartzanas T, 2022. 4D printing: Perspectives for the production of sustainable plastics for agriculture, Biotechnology Advances, Volume 54,107785 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107785.

Maraveas, C., 2020. Production of Sustainable and Biodegradable Polymers from Agricultural Waste. Polymers, 12, 1127. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12051127

Maraveas, C., 2020. The Sustainability of Plastic Nets in Agriculture. Sustainability, 12, 3625. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093625

Maraveas, C., 2020. Durability Issues and Corrosion of Structural Materials and Systems in Farm Environment. Appl. Sci., 10, 990. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10030990

Maraveas, C., 2020. Production of Sustainable Construction Materials Using Agro-Wastes. Materials 2020, 13, 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13020262

Maraveas, C., 2019. Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6129. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216129

I am a Civil Engineer graduated from Democritus University of Thrace, with postgraduate studies (MSc) at Swansea University and Imperial College, and received my PhD from the University of Manchester. I have worked in the private sector for more than 15 years, while I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège in Belgium with a European Union scholarship and at the University of Patras with a Ministry of Development scholarship. From 2022 I am an Associate Professor at the Farm Structures Lab. My research interests are in engineering and technology applications in agricultural construction and agricultural plastics.

I have published more than 90 papers in international Scientific journals, and Stanford University has ranked me in the top 2% of scientists worldwide.

Indicative publications:

Maraveas, C.; Kotzabasaki, M.I.; Bayer, I.S.; Bartzanas, T., 2023.Sustainable Greenhouse Covering Materials with Nano- and Micro-Particle Additives for Enhanced Radiometric and Thermal Properties and Performance. AgriEngineering, 5, 1347-1377. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering5030085

Maraveas, C., Asteris, P.G., Arvanitis, K.G. et al., 2023.  Application of Bio and Nature-Inspired Algorithms in Agricultural Engineering. Arch Computat Methods Eng 30, 1979–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-022-09857-x

Maraveas, C., 2023. Incorporating Artificial Intelligence Technology in Smart Greenhouses: Current State of the Art. Appl. Sci., 13, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010014

Maraveas C., D. Piromalis, K.G. Arvanitis, T. Bartzanas, D. Loukatos, 2022. Applications of IoT for optimized greenhouse environment and resources management, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, Volume 198, 106993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2022.106993

Maraveas C, Bayer IS, Bartzanas T, 2022. 4D printing: Perspectives for the production of sustainable plastics for agriculture, Biotechnology Advances, Volume 54,107785 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107785.

Maraveas, C., 2020. Production of Sustainable and Biodegradable Polymers from Agricultural Waste. Polymers, 12, 1127. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12051127

Maraveas, C., 2020. The Sustainability of Plastic Nets in Agriculture. Sustainability, 12, 3625. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093625

Maraveas, C., 2020. Durability Issues and Corrosion of Structural Materials and Systems in Farm Environment. Appl. Sci., 10, 990. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10030990

Maraveas, C., 2020. Production of Sustainable Construction Materials Using Agro-Wastes. Materials 2020, 13, 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13020262

Maraveas, C., 2019. Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6129. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216129

Panagiotis Panagakis graduated as an Agronomist from the Agricultural University of Athens in 1985, received a Master of Engineering in 1987 from the University of Florida (Department of Agricultural Engineering), and finally in 1993 he was awarded a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from the Agricultural University of Athens.

As part of his research, he studies issues related to Animal Housing and in particular:

• The design of the animal housing areas, taking into account zootechnical data (e.g. calculation on an annual basis of the populations per category of animals, organization of the reproductive process, etc.).
• The functional flow of animals in the animal housing areas.
• The selection of structural solutions and the evaluation of how they serve the wellfare of the animals.
• The environmental control for the animals.