Daskalakis, Vangelis
Department
Preferred name
Daskalakis, Vangelis
Translated Name
Δασκαλάκης, Βαγγέλης
Recruitment Date
December 1, 2011
Position
Assistant Professor
Department
Email
evangelos.daskalakis@cut.ac.cy
Research Interests
ORCID
Scopus Author ID
Researcher ID
Tel
+35725002458
Main Affiliation
CUT
Status
exstaff
Biography
Dr. Daskalakis Vangelis is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology (EST) at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). He is the leader of the Computational Environmental Modeling (CEM) Group in the Dept. His independent research focuses on Computational Physics, Biophysics and Biological Chemistry. He studies small gaseous and large biological molecules involved in processes of environmental and biological significance. Among others, his research interests include the biophysics and biochemistry behind the structure and functionality of heme proteins, e.g. the interaction of myoglobin (Mb) and Cytochrome c Oxidase (CcO) with atmospheric gases (COx, NOx). Insight into their in vivo behavior and possible environmental sensor capabilities is obtained. His studies on Photosystem II (PSII) are related to the mechanism of excess energy dissipation (Non-Photochemical Chlorophyll Fluorescence Quenching, or NPQ) and the plant photoprotection process that is highly relevant to a changing climate in terms of the production of tolerant plants, the O2 evolution and CO2 fixation. The ever-growing environmental concerns push researchers to identify renewable energy resources and satisfy the demand of an increasing global population. In nature, the life-sustaining oxygen cycle: O2 + 4e- + 4H+ Û 2H2O is driven by the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration (oxidative phosphorylation). Cutting-edge research projects are designed based on Photosynthesis and Oxidative Phosphorylation and provide (a) a deeper understanding of the molecular photoprotective cycle at all-atom resolution that is still obscure, and (b) a complete biochemical oxygen cycle, with the mechanistic similarities of how redox active transition metal ions (Fe, Cu, Mn) make or break the strong O−O bond. On the other hand, his studies on water-salt-organics dynamics in the atmosphere, viewed from the physical chemistry aspect, add to the multi-field nature of his research. He has worked (as stuff or visiting researcher) in research institutes like the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center at the Life Sciences department (BSC), the Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institutes of Natural Sciences Supercomputing Center at Okazaki, Aichi /Japan (NINS). He has obtained research grants on computational time (millions of cpu core hours) in High Performance Computing facilities (HPC) through PRACE/ DECI, LinkSCEEM and Cytera-EM, HPC-Europa calls. He has publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals, like J. Am. Chem. Soc., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, J. Phys. Chem. C, Sci. Rep. (Nature Publishing Group), Biochim. Biophys. Acta – Bioenergetics & Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.
Education
| Role | Organisation | Start | End |
Undergraduate | September 10, 1996 | July 23, 2000 | |
Msc, Ph.D | October 10, 2000 | July 23, 2006 | |