Dr. Kyriakos D. Panopoulos is a chemical engineer with 20 years of experience. He leads a research team in advanced energy and environmental systems with an emphasis on the optimized design of energy solutions in industry and power generation. He directs the only Greek-accredited laboratory that provides analytical services for fossil, biomass and recovered (SRF) fuels. He has participated in numerous projects for the reduction of the environmental and energy footprint of energy-intensive industries and power plants. A predominant part of his work involves the design, construction, management, and operation of pilot plants applying thermal processing of both bio-based and fossil fuels. Overall, he has attracted and organized several projects of major EU FP7 & H2020 projects for CERTH. He was recently elected as a member of the Scientific Council of CPERI/CERTH. On a national level, Dr. Panopoulos coordinates the Smart Specialization Energy Task Force of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Ministry of Education.