Can you play any instruments? 
I wish! In stressful and challenging times of my life, jazz music seems to do the trick in soothing and relaxing me. I have been told I have a talent for singing. In High School, I sung in a concert and I have never forgotten that experience. I sung solo with a pianist giving the song vibes… I felt overwhelmed at the beginning but was able to overcome my stage fright and express myself through music. The feeling of the audience being captured by my voice was really fulfilling and daunting at the same time. The experience as a whole was truly memorable. During the pandemic, I spent Saturday nights with a glass of wine singing Greek traditional songs and I try to practice regularly. Who knows, maybe in time I will also pursue a singing career!
 

If you could only eat one thing for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Stuffed tomatoes! This is a traditional Greek dish that my grandmother used to make me as a small child. It includes a tomato, the inside of which has been removed and replaced with a mix of tomato peel, rice, feta cheese, herbs, onions, olive oil, garlic, parsley, dill and mint. It reminds me of Greek summers, where the sun and warm breeze under my grandmother’s arbor in her backyard created a carefree setting of love and laughter.
 
If you could meet someone famous from the past or current, who would that be, where and what music would you be listening to? 
This is a tough one! There are so many people I admire. I believe I would like to meet the CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, to discuss the hurdles of bringing a COVID-19 vaccine to the public, benefitting the wider community and saving so many lives. I would also like to meet Dimitris Mitropanos, a renowned Greek singer that mastered the art of Laiko, a Greek music style, and ask him where he got his inspiration. The setting would be a jazz bar overlooking the Akropolis, listening to Louis Armstrong song ”Wonderful World.”

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
I imagined myself becoming a veterinarian. I loved animals and felt a constant need to support them. It is known that Greece has an issue with stray animals --  throughout my childhood, my sister and I fostered dozens of cats and dogs, providing them shelter and care. She used to wake me up in the middle of the night and we would sneak out of the house to rescue crying kittens. I have always had a sense of helping and being there for them.
 
What’s a skill you’d like to improve?
I would like to improve my canyoning skills. Whenever I am in Greece for holidays, I hike and abseil canyons.. However, there are several certifications that one can take to become a certified, independent canyoner and be able to train others. I am still at the first initiation phase of this sport and I would love to become a certified guide and explore more gorges all around the world!

What’s the trait you most deplore in others?
The trait I most deplore in others is not showing understanding and empathy. We live in a highly atomized world where sometimes we get consumed in our own challenges and stressful circumstances, and that makes it hard to see other people’s perspectives. This is one of the reasons I admire the AUTM organization- the management and Members - it’s a community where each one of us can find a fellow professional to listen, mentor and support us. Such initiatives bring the best in people and make me hopeful as well.
 

What’s something that has surprised you about your chosen career path?
I’ve managed to achieve whatever I set my mind to. The skills a technology transfer professional gains throughout the years are so diverse and unique that it makes us an asset for any setting.
 
I was a molecular biologist for seven years, got an MSc at Intellectual Property Law, worked for the academic technology transfer for three years and just moved into the biotech world, and work as a Business Development Manager at Autolus PLC. Autolus spun out from University College London in 2014. It is now at clinical stage and develops next generation CAR-T cell therapies targeting both haematological malignancies and solid tumors.
 
However, this would not have been achieved without great mentorship and support, particularly from my mentor, Yatin Karpe, assigned as part of my LifeArc-AUTM Fellowship; Kostas Drosatos, who I met attending the World Hellenic Biomedical Association Summer School; and Michelle Hill-Perkins, my colleague and good friend when I worked at Queen Mary Innovation (QMI.) Mentorship and fellowship have paved my path to where I am, and I would not have changed this journey for the world.
 
The experience of being a LifeArc-AUTM Fellow has supported me throughout my career in numerous ways. This fellowship provides a two-year AUTM Membership, plus access to AUTM’s Technology Transfer Practice Manual and webinars, participation in the AUTM Essentials Course and Annual Meeting, and a supportive network of fellow professionals as well as Mentorship. Having taken the AUTM Essentials Course provided me with the confidence to be successful at my interview with QMI. I tapped into the network of AUTM professionals to receive advice for day-to-day work as well as my career arc. The fellows of my cohort have become my close friends and we support each other in each career step. Words are not sufficient to explain my gratitude to this program, the management team and each member of the professional network I came across throughout my fellowship.
 
Even though I have stepped out of the academic side of technology transfer, I am still an active AUTM Member and attend the AUTM Annual Meetings to provide my support as a panel member. I truly value being part of this community.
 
What’s one AUTM Course you’d recommend more tech transfer pros take?
I truly enjoyed the AUTM Software Course, which provides an in-depth view of software licensing. I did not have the chance to be involved in many licensing transactions for software, so this course gave me the insights and depth I needed to pursue any new case if it came to my desk. Another one close to my heart is the fascinating Basics of Licensing Course I took when I first joined AUTM in 2018 as a preparation to the AUTM Essentials Course.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about tech transfer?
Technology transfer is a fascinating profession where you can become involved in all sorts of circumstances and peculiar situations when in discussions with academics, companies, other TTOs, funding bodies, etc. The best advice I received was to be open to new challenges and accept the element of surprise that came to my day-to-day work. I did, and it helped me always be prepared and ready to support!