Our Core Team
Christos Xenakis
TEAM CAPTAIN
Prof. Christos Xenakis is a faculty member of the Department of Digital Systems of the University of Piraeus, Greece, and a member of the Systems Security Laboratory. He is also a steering committee member of the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC) and the leader of the Hellenic Cyber Security Team. He is a member of the editorial board of four Thomson Reuters indexed journals: a) Computers & Security Journal of the Elsevier publishing, b) Computer Communications Journal of the Elsevier publishing, c) IET Information Security of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and d) The Computer Journal of the Oxford University Press. His research interests are in the field of systems, networks and applications security. He has authored more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.
Apostolis Zarras
TEAM VICE CAPTAIN
Dr. Apostolis Zarras is a research associate at the University of Piraeus and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas. Previously, he was a faculty member at the Delft University of Technology and Maastricht University and, before that, a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Munich. He received his Ph.D. degree in IT Security from the Ruhr-University Bochum. He also holds a M.Sc. and a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the University of Crete. His research interests primarily revolve around systems, networks, and web security. Overall, his work is dedicated to advancing the field of Cybersecurity and safeguarding users and systems against potential cyber threats.
Stella Tsitsoula
Communications & Sponsorship manager
Stella Tsitsoula is a communications consultant specialised in the Tech and Cybersecurity industry who works with multi-national organisations and universities to help them understand emerging technologies, manage risk and strategise on a future roadmap to thrive in changing times. She also promotes the ECSC events and the national team of the Hellenic Republic. She has her own Communications agency. For more than 25 years she holds senior management positions with extensive experience in media and communications business. Stella Tsitsoula has a B.Sc degree in Electronic Computing Systems Engineering from the Piraeus University of Applied Sciences, a PGCert in Management of Public Relations of the University of Athens and currently enrolled in an MBA program and is Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor. She is a member of the Greek Periodical Press Association and International Federation of Journalists. Stella is also a Co-Founder of Women4Cyber Greece, where she leads the team for Communications.
Panagiotis Bellonias
Team Coach
Panagiotis Bellonias is a highly skilled cybersecurity professional with a passion for competitive hacking. As a member and ex-captain of the Hellenic Cyber Security team, he honed his skills in cryptography and has since gone on to achieve success in various competitions. He is a member of Zer0Tolerance, a top 50 CTF team globally, and has participated in various cybersecurity competitions, including the International Cyber Security Challenge where he achieved first place as a member of Team Europe. Panagiotis has a strong background in research, having worked as a researcher at Bournemouth University, where he developed his skills in network analysis, software development, and online investigations. Today, he is applying his expertise as a security specialist in the Netherlands, where he conducts security assessments for a wide range of clients in the industrial market.
Alexia Konstantinidi
Team Coach
Alexia Konstantinidi is a cybersecurity professional who is passionate about CTF’s and the gamified learning they offer, as an approach to bringing more talented folks into the cybersecurity realm. Being a member and ex-captain of the Hellenic Cyber Security team, she is driven to support the team further as a coach. In her free time, she participates in CTF competitions with Th3Os, focusing in forensics and malware analysis challenges, as well dives into subjects such as electronics and hardware hacking. Alexia has also been a member and ex- team captain of Team Europe, achieving first place in the International Cyber Security Challenge in 2022 and 2023. Today, Alexia works as a Digital Forensics and Incident response specialist in London, investigating and responding to cyber-attacks, supporting client companies from various industries daily.
Michalis Takaronis
Technical manager
Michalis Takaronis is a research assistant in the SSL team at the University of Piraeus, specializing in vulnerability assessment and exploitation development. He actively participates in various university research projects, particularly those related to hosting and content creation for Capture the Flag competitions. In his free time, he participates in online CTF competitions, but also takes pleasure in crafting challenging scenarios across different fields of cybersecurity.
Athanasios Grammatopoulos
Scientific Manager
Athanasios Vasileios Grammatopoulos is a Cybersecurity Researcher. His research focuses on the fields of Cybersecurity Training, Vulnerabilities Detection and Secure Password-less Authentication. He received his second MSc from the Digital Systems Dept. of University of Piraeus on Digital Systems Security. He received his Electrical and Computer Engineering Diploma and MSc at the Technical University of Crete.
Katerina Psychogyiou
Support Team
Associate Research Assistant in the System Security Laboratory of the University of Piraeus. Katerina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Digital Systems Security from the Department of Digital Systems at the University of Piraeus. Currently, she actively participates in various university research projects and specialises in Project Management.