Ioannis Tsichlis is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Pharmacy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Patras, and an M.Sc. in Nanomedicine from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His doctoral research lies at the interface of pharmaceutical technology, nanomedicine, biomaterials science, and drug delivery, with a focus on lipid-based and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for nucleic acid therapeutics. During his Ph.D., he has focused on nanoparticle-based nucleic acid delivery technologies, with particular interest in mitochondrial targeting and applications in rare mitochondrial and genetic disorders. As a researcher, Ioannis has worked under Professor Costas Demetzos on projects that have led to several publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 20 presentations at national and international scientific conferences. He has completed research placements at institutions in Greece, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Austria, supported by competitive Ph.D. scholarships and mobility fellowships. His research in gene delivery has been recognized with best oral presentation awards at the 14th Targeting Mitochondria Congress of the World Mitochondria Society for the work Development of Mitochondria-Inspired Lipopolyplexes for Gene Delivery, and at the 17th Mediterranean Conference on Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis for the work Thermoresponsive Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery.

As a Fulbright Visiting Research Student, he will conduct part of his doctoral research at Northeastern University in collaboration with Professor Mansoor Amiji. There, he will work in a research environment focused on target-specific drug and gene delivery, providing a strong scientific basis for the next stage of his doctoral work. During his visit, he will advance his research on mitochondria-targeted gene delivery and strengthen its translational potential, with the aim of contributing to future nanomedicine strategies for rare mitochondrial disorders.