Christina N. Economou (in research articles) holds a BSc in Environmental Science (2006) and a PhD in Environmental Biotechnology (2012), both from the University of Ioannina in Greece. Her dissertation focused on the biotechnological production of single cell oil from agricultural substrates using an oleaginous fungus in different types of bioreactors. Mathematical models were also developed to describe the process of lipid accumulation into the oleaginous microorganism grown either on a surface or in suspension.
During her postdoctoral activity, she has obtained extensive experience in fungi cultivation utilizing lignocellulosic waste streams in laboratory- and pilot scale systems for the production of oxidative enzymes and value-added compounds. She also has experience in wastewater bioremediation using cyanobacterial-bacterial consortia in laboratory- and pilot scale photobioreactors. She has participated in several Greek and EU projects regarding waste steams valorization to produce high value-added products (e.g., lipids, proteins, enzymes, extracellular polymeric substances) and biofuels.
She is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Smart Materials Group, focusing on the biodegradation of polylactic acid (PLA) and the development of mycelium-based composites. She is the author of 27 papers in peer reviewed journals, 3 book chapters and more than 25 Greek and international conference proceedings.