Professor, University of Crete & FORTH, Greece
Prof. Costas Fotakis served as Minister for Research and Innovation of Greece (2015–2019) during a critical period of economic restructuring, contributing to the strategic repositioning of research and innovation as a pillar of economic recovery and sustainable growth. He is Distinguished Member and former President of FORTH (2011-2015) and Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Crete. He has numerous publications and conference invited or plenary presentations in the area of Laser and Photonics technologies. Professor Fotakis has been awarded several distinctions, among which the “Leadership Award” of the Optical Society of America (OSA) in 2004.