Dimitris Zopounidis, PhD Candidate at the Data Science Laboratory (DS Lab) of the School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, has been recognised, as a member of an interdisciplinary team, with the Award of Excellence (3rd Place) at the SkyImpact Challenge 2026.
He is also the Founder of the Aviationlife.gr and of the Crete Aviation Observatory.
The challenge, organised by Heraklion International Airport, Crete, in collaboration with Bizrupt, focused on developing innovative proposals supporting the design and future operation of the New Heraklion International Airport.
The interdisciplinary team ranked 3rd among the 10 finalist teams, with its proposal being recognised for its innovation, sustainability, and practical applicability in supporting the development of Crete’s new international gateway.
The award-winning team included Dr Evangelia Pantelaki, Dr Manolis Karachalios, Dr Elen P. Paraschi, Dr Konstantinos N. Malagas, and Dimitris Zopounidis, while Georgia Kostourou played a key role as the team’s mentor throughout the programme.
The distinction highlights the importance of connecting academic research with real-world challenges in aviation and airport development, while demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in shaping sustainable and innovative airport infrastructure.
Dimitris Zopounidis conducts research in the fields of Business Analytics and Data Science, with applications in airport sustainability, aviation analytics, banking, artificial intelligence, and decision support systems. His research focuses on bridging academic knowledge with practical applications to support evidence-based decision-making and innovation across industry sectors.
