Yiannis Kourkoutas is a Professor of Applied Biotechnology at Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace. He obtained a degree in Chemistry (1997) and a degree in Enology (1999) from the University of Patras. He then completed his Ph.D. in Food Biotechnology in 2002 at the same university. Yiannis Kourkoutas further continued his postdoctoral studies at the University of Ulster and at the University of Patras. His research focuses on microbiome applications in food systems, food bioprocesses, functional foods, and nutrition. Yiannis Kourkoutas has been invited as a plenary keynote lecturer and has served as chairman in several conferences. He has also evaluated both national and international research projects, as well as reviewing scientific journals.