Meet the Doctoral Candidates

Name: Mrs. Panagiota Xepapadakou (DC08)

Host Institution: FOGUS Innovations & Services, Athens, Greece

PhD Enrollment: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

PhD Title: Blockchain-backed incentive engineering mechanisms for secure Healthcare 4.0

Supervisor: Dr. Dionysis Xenakis

Mrs. Panagiota Xepapadakou, holds a Bachelor's and an Integrated Master's degree in Statistics and Financial-Actuarial Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics at the University of the Aegean. She furthered her academic journey with a Master's Degree in Pure Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, focusing on "Morita Theory." Mrs. Xepapadakou continued her academic career in the United States at the University of North Texas, gaining valuable knowledge in areas such as analysis, algebra, and set theory. During this period, she also contributed to the academic community by tutoring undergraduate students and serving as a Teaching Fellow.

Name: Mr. Lazaros Liatsas (DC04)

Host Institution: Nearby Computing, Barcelona, Spain

PhD Enrollment: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

PhD Title: Zero-touch inter-node edge orchestration and online 6G-ready service monitoring for low latency healthcare applications

Supervisor: Dr. Angelos Antonopoulos

Mr. Lazaros Liatsas holds a Bachelor’s and an Integrated Master's degree of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. With a solid educational foundation, Lazaros has demonstrated excellence in his academic pursuits, further complemented by his hands-on experience as a Machine Learning Engineer and Research Associate at the Visual Computing Lab within the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH). His technical proficiency encompasses analytical areas such as AI, ML, and optimization, with practical skills in PyTorch, Tensorflow, Scikit-learn, OpenCV, Git, Docker, and Kubernetes.

Name: Mr. Erfan Delfani (DC09)

Host Institution: Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

PhD Enrollment: Linköping University

PhD Title: AI-enabled semantics-aware network management for cost-efficient and secure IoMT

Supervisor: Dr. Nikolaos Pappas

Mr. Erfan Delfani holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (Electronics) from Razi University in Kermanshah, Iran, and a Master’s Degree in Communication Systems specializing in signal processing and statistical machine learning from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. His hands-on experience includes designing and numerical modeling of telecommunication and spectrum measurement systems, in addition to a six-month research engineer position at the Department of Computer and Information Science at Linkoping University. Mr. Delfani has demonstrated expertise in various areas such as semantics-aware communication systems, particularly optimizing semantic metrics such as information freshness/importance in IoT networks using stochastic modeling and optimization techniques.

Name: Mr. Kostas Filopoulos (DC10)

Host Institution: Suite5 Data Intelligence Solutions, Limassol, Cyprus

PhD Enrollment: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

PhD Title: Big data analytics leveraging robust and trustworthy, privacy by design enabled eXplainable AI (XAI) models towards Healthcare 4.0

Supervisor: Dr. Sotiris Koussouris

Mr. Kostas Filopoulos holds a Bachelor’s and an Integrated Master's degree of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Technical University of Crete (Chania, Greece). Demonstrating strong proficiency and dedication, he specialized in software engineering, focusing particularly on software security and privacy aspects. Following his academic endeavors, Konstantinos embarked on a professional research career. In this capacity, he contributed to projects encompassing Artificial Intelligence and Software/ Data Security as a Junior Researcher.

Name: Mr. Xavier Alejandro Flores Cabezas (DC01)

Host Institution: Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg

PhD Enrollment: Université du Luxembourg

PhD Title: Integrated Terrestrial Networks and Non-Terrestrial Networks for Ubiquitous and Reliable Healthcare Access

Supervisor: Dr. Symeon Chatzinotas

Mr. Xavier Alejandro Flores Cabezas holds a Bachelor's degree in Networking and Electronic Engineering from Escuela Politécnica Nacional and a Master's degree in Wireless Communications Engineering - Radio Access Networks from the University of Oulu. His skill set includes expertise in C, C++, C#, Python, and Matlab, and also in various areas of AI/ML, such as deep learning. Additionally, Alejandro demonstrates expertise in mathematical disciplines such as convex optimization, statistical signal analysis, system modeling and abstract algebra. With hands-on experience as a researcher in the 6G Flagship and FAITH projects funded by the Academy of Finland, Alejandro has honed his skills in wireless communications engineering and advanced networking technologies.

Name: Mr. Danial Shafaie (DC05)

Host Institution: Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain

PhD Enrollment: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

PhD Title: Cloud-native design and task orchestration for real-time performance guarantees over the 6G compute continuum

Supervisor: Dr. Elli Kartsakli

Mr. Danial Shafaie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Shahid Rajaee University in Tehran, Iran, and a Master’s degree in Electrical and Telecommunication Networks Engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran. He has participated in a large number of academic projects, demonstrating his expertise in various relevant areas, including 5G networks, AI pipelines, and parallel processing. Additionally, he has gained relevant work experience as a Radio Frequency (RF) engineer and remains dedicated to furthering his knowledge and contributing to advancements in the field of Electrical Engineering.

Name: Mrs. Upaangana Das (DC02)

Host Institution: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

PhD Enrollment: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

PhD Title: Joint access and X-haul network optimization targeting at high energy- and cost-efficiency in Healthcare 4.0.

Supervisor: Prof. Amalia Miliou

Mrs. Upaangana Das obtained her Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Assam Science and Technology University, located in Assam, India and her Master's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering specializing in Communication and Signal Processing from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati, also located in Assam, India. Mrs. Upaangana Das excels in cellular networks, resource allocation, and optimization theory gained through coursework. She demonstrates proficiency in software packages like Java and MATLAB, utilized extensively in signal processing applications during both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

Name: Mr. Bhavesh Sonwani (DC06)

Host Institution: Academisch Medisch Centrum Bij de Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands

PhD Enrollment: Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands

PhD Title: Secure medical data analytics for low latency healthcare applications.

Supervisor: Dr. Henk Marquering

Mr. Bhavesh Sonwani holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut. Following his undergraduate studies, he pursued a Master of Technology in Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science & AI from the International Institute of Information Technology, Naya Raipur. In addition, Bhavesh holds a second Master of Science in Cognitive Sciences from the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar. Mr. Sonwani has diverse research experience spanning various aspects of communication systems, deep learning models, human-computer interaction, and quantum cryptography. He has demonstrated proficiency in designing and implementing innovative solutions across multiple projects, showcasing skills in system development, simulation, experimental validation, and data analysis.