Dimitris Zissis is a Professor of Information and Communication Systems at the Department of Product & Systems Design Engineering, University of the Aegean (Greece). He is the Head of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab (SmartMove) and Director of the Postgraduate Programme in Autonomous Systems. Currently, he serves as the National Representative to the Horizon Europe Programme Committee (PC) for “Cluster 4: Digital, Industry, and Space” and has been a member of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Groups on “Business-to-Government Data Sharing” and “Facilitating the Use of New Data Sources for Official Statistics”.

Elias Xidias is an Associate Professor at the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering at the University of the Aegean, specializing in motion planning for autonomous systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (2009) and a B.Sc. in Mathematics (2003) from the University of Patras. His research focuses on robotic logistics, intelligent transportation systems, ship weather routing, and optimization algorithms for path planning. He has published over 30 journal articles and 33 conference papers in leading scientific venues, with an h-index of 19 and more than 850 citations. He is the author of the book Motion Planning Methods with Applications in Robotic Systems and Intelligent Vehicles and serves as a reviewer for prestigious journals such as IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Vehicles and Robotics and Autonomous Systems. He has extensive teaching experience at the University of the Aegean and the University of West Attica, covering robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems. Additionally, he has served on program committees for international conferences such as VEHITS and ICINCO and has been an external evaluator for research projects in Greece and Cyprus.

Alexandros Troupiotis-Kapelliaris is a postdoctoral researcher of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab at the University of the Aegean. He has received his B.Sc. on informatics and telecommunications and his M.Sc. on theoretical computer science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) in 2017 and 2020 respectively. In 2024 he completed his Ph.D in ‘Complex Event Recognition and Forecasting on Streams of Data’ at the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering of the University of the Aegean. His dissertation was conducted under the Industrial Fellowship Program from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. In the past, he was a research associate for the Complex Event Recognition Group at National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) ‘Demokritos’, and a research scientist in the Research Labs team of MarineTraffic. His research interests include mobility data analytics, data mining and streaming systems.

Thomas Kogias is a computer science educator and researcher at the University of the Aegean, where he teaches subjects such as web development, software engineering, and information systems. As a founding member of the SmartMove Lab, he specializes in autonomous marine systems and intelligent maritime technologies, focusing on real-world integration through custom communication and control solutions. He actively involves students in applied lab work and research, led the university’s team in the first Aegean RoBoat Race, and contributes to EU-funded projects, including AR-based maritime training tools and mobile software development.

Giannis Spiliopoulos is a software engineer with a strong interest in data analysis. He has gained hands-on experience with a wide range of machine learning algorithms and statistical methods through his work as a researcher. In addition, he has a solid background in designing and implementing solutions across both the database and application layers. He is consistently eager to learn new technologies and enjoys building proof-of-concept solutions for real-world problems.

Nicolaos Goulas is a UAV Engineer and Remote Pilot with a Master of Engineering degree in Production and Management Engineering, and specialized postgraduate studies in Unmanned Autonomous and Remote Controlled Systems. He has strong hands-on experience in UAV systems, including building, testing, and operational flight missions. His expertise includes system-level integration of avionics, including autopilots, communication systems, and onboard sensors. He has conducted extensive UAV flights under diverse conditions, including system testing, real-world missions, and simulated tactical scenarios. Currently, Nicolaos is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering, University of the Aegean, conducting research on motion algorithms for autonomous unmanned vehicles, with applications in monitoring and rescue operations.

Nickolas Sapountzis is a research intern in the Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab (SmartMove) at the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering of the University of the Aegean. He specializes in the development and deployment of autonomous surface vessels, with a primary focus on programming. This includes writing and optimizing software for real-time decision-making, sensor integration, and path planning. In addition to programming, he also deals with interfacing hardware components such as IMUs, GPS modules, LIDAR, and microcontrollers. His responsibilities also extend to the design phase where he helps model and prototype the physical structure of the USVs using CAD tools and rapid prototyping methods such as FDM. Beyond technical contributions in programming and design, Nick also serves as a USV pilot for field operations. This dual role of lab-baaed development and fieldwork helps Nick bridge theory and application, ensuring that the lab’s systems are technically robust and mission-ready for real world maritime environments.