Dr. Sofia Nikoleta Economidou

Health Sciences

Sophia N. Economidou is a Teaching and Research Faculty Member in Pharmaceutical Technology at UNIC Athens, within the Department of Health Sciences, School of Life and Health Sciences. Her interdisciplinary background combines mechanical and biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, advanced manufacturing, medical device development, and computational methods. She has more than 12 years of research experience across academic, research institute, and industry environments.

Dr Economidou holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Kent, where her doctoral research focused on the design and development of 3D-printed microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Her work involved advanced additive manufacturing techniques, microelectromechanical systems, mechanical and in-vitro characterisation, and applications in diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. She also holds a Diploma in Mechanical and Aeronautics Engineering from the University of Patras, specialising in Applied Mechanics, Technology of Materials and Biomechanics. Her research interests centre on pharmaceutical technology, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, microneedle-based drug delivery systems, biomaterials, medical devices, computational design, and data-driven optimisation. More recently, her work has expanded into artificial intelligence and machine-learning-assisted approaches for pharmaceutical and bioengineering applications. At NCSR “Demokritos,” she worked on data- and simulation-driven optimisation of architected structures, including tissue-engineering scaffolds and microneedles, as well as finite element modelling, mechanical testing, and machine-learning-assisted optimisation of manufacturing processes. She subsequently worked as an AI Research Engineer, developing AI agents, workflow automation systems, and computational tools for pharmaceutical and life-sciences applications.

Dr Economidou has also held senior engineering and translational research roles. As Director of Engineering at Biological Lattice Industries Corp., she led multidisciplinary engineering teams and contributed to product development, manufacturing, quality management, ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 activities, CE marking, and regulatory documentation. Previously, at University College London and Biosensors Beyond Borders Ltd, she worked on the development and commercialisation of point-of-care medical devices, including prototyping, in-vitro testing, clinical-trial preparation, quality systems, CE technical documentation, and FDA 510(k) preparation.

Her academic record includes peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, Additive Manufacturing, Molecular Pharmaceutics, Micromachines, and the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, with several publications focusing on 3D-printed microneedles and transdermal drug delivery. She is also an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and has teaching experience at the University of Kent, the University of Piraeus, and in professional training for pharmaceutical scientists and academics.

Dr. Economidou’s strongest professional aspiration is to contribute to the seamless translation of engineering and computational technologies into practical pharmaceutical and healthcare applications, bridging fundamental research, product development, regulatory requirements and emerging AI-powered technologies.