Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh) was founded in 1973 and named after the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, whose origin was from the town of Abdera in the Prefecture of Xanthi. The administrative seat of the University resides in the city of Komotini, the capital city of the Administrative Region of East Macedonia & Thrace while administrative services are also provided in all four cities where the university expands.
The University is classified among the biggest Greek Universities in terms of the number of its active student population. Geographically dispersed throughout Thrace, with 10 Faculties, 28 Departments and a wide variety of Postgraduate Programs, with a student population that reaches approximately 42,000 (undergraduate, graduate students and candidate PhD students) and with a research and teaching staff that exceeds 700 people, the university still is the only academic institution in the Administrative Region of East Macedonia & Thrace.
The outline of the course curricula on offer covers the majority of modern scientific subjects starting from the School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences in Orestiada, the Schools of Health Sciences and Education Studies in Alexandoupolis, the Schools of Law, Classical and Humanity Studies, Social, Political and Economic Studies and the School of Physical Education and Sports in Komotini to the Polytechnic School in Xanthi and the Schools of Exact Sciences and the School of Administration Science and Accounting in Kavala.
Video presentation of the Democritus University of Thrace, an extrovert institution with a strategic priority of Internationalization.
Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MNTL @DUTh)
The Micro- and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MNTL@DUTH or MNTLab) is an innovative laboratory of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, in Xanthi Greece. With starting point the Micro- & Nano-technology, it specializes in the research areas of Thin Films for Photovoltaic elements, Energy Storage ans specifically Lithium-ion batteries, and Micro-sensors’ Technology. It has participated and continues to dynamically participate in a series of research projects funded by private, national, European, and international organizations, such as the European Space Agency. It develops collaborations with international companies (AIRBUS, Limedion, SUNLIGHT SA) and institutions (ITE, CERTH, CIDETEC, Fraunhofer). More specifically, MNTL@DUTh has been active, since 2014, in space battery research projects (further details can be found here, here and here) for the European Space Agency and has created based on the results of these projects a spin-off company, the INEM Technologies p.c., to pursue the deployment of the low temperature battery for the EV industry as a downstream application. SHELION, another MNTLab’s research Project for the EV’s Li-ion battery technology, received special award for the results obtained during his partnership with Fraunhofer ICT. With its participation in the SOLIDEL Project, MNTLab advanced also towards the solid- state battery technology.
In parallel, MNTLab have strengthen its academic-industry bonds by organizing educational activities and battery hands-on training sessions for the employees of an international battery manufacturer (Sunlight SA) established in Greece.
Filippos Farmakis Professor, Lab Director
Dr. Filippos Farmakis completed his B.S. in Physics from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1996, followed by an MSc in Optics, Optoelectronics, and Microwaves from the National Polytechnic School of Grenoble in 1997. He earned his PhD from the same institution in 2000, focusing on the electrical and noise characteristics and reliability of polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors. His career began at UNAXIS SA in Palaiseau, France, where he worked as a Process Engineer and later an R&D Team Leader, specializing in thin film deposition for PECVD production systems in the display industry.
In 2006, Dr. Farmakis joined IMEL, NCSR Demokritos in Athens, Greece, to continue his research on chemical sensing field-effects devices and thin-film transistors, backed by a European Union co-financed grant. By 2008, he was leading technology efforts at Heliosphera SA, a Greek firm producing thin film photovoltaic modules.
He has been part of the Democritus University of Thrace’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department since 2012, progressing from Lecturer to Assistant Professor, and finally to Professor in 2024. With over 60 scientific publications, Dr. Farmakis is also an active member of the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) and a non-governmental expert for the European Defense Agency.
George Zardalidis, Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. George Zardalidis holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Ioannina, Greece, obtained in 2000, and an MSc in Microelectronics from Democritus University of Thrace, earned in 2002. His initial PhD, completed in 2007, was centered on the design and simulation methodologies for nanoelectronic circuits. He furthered his education with a second MSc in Physics Teaching and Education from the University of Ioannina in 2011.
Dr. Zardalidis then joined the Soft Matter Physics Lab at the University of Ioannina, where he pursued a second PhD, focusing on polymer physics and the effect of structure on the ionic conductivity of polymers and co-polymers, completed in 2015.
Since 2019, he has been a research associate at the Micro and Nano Technology Lab at Democritus University of Thrace. His scholarly contributions include authoring or co-authoring 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers, with research interests in the structural characteristics and material properties of sensing and energy storage devices.
Maria Moutsiou
Chemical Engineer, Project Management Consultant and INEM Cofounder
Maria Moutsiou, who earned her i-MSc degree in Chemical Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, is the co-founder and managing partner of INEM Technologies. Established in 2020, INEM Technologies is a spin-off from Democritus University of Thrace aimed at developing and commercializing specialized Li-ion battery technologies.
Since 2013, she has been collaborating with the MNTLab via her own consulting company, managing projects and securing funding for innovation in lithium-ion battery technology, and handling budgets totaling around €2 million.
Prior to her current role, Maria directed the Environment Department at “Energy-Environment-Development,” a technical company of the Local Government in Xanthi, from 2002 to 2012. In this position, she oversaw regional energy and environmental projects. Earlier in her career, she held research roles focusing on waste management and economics, laying a strong foundation for her subsequent leadership in environmental and technological advancements.