Antonia Georgopoulou starts as Cyber Valley Max Planck Independent Research Group Leader

Antonia Georgopoulou starts her Cyber Valley Max Planck Independent Research Group "Cyborg Robotics and Intelligent Sensing (CyRIS)" on October 15, 2025. Antonia’s research focuses on bio-inspired materials and structures, additive manufacturing and functional materials for soft and biohybrid robotic applications. Her work bridges materials science, robotics, and bioengineering to create adaptable and intelligent robotic platforms.

At EPFL and NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials (NCCR: National Center of Competence in Research) she developed electronic skin for soft and biohybrid robots with multi-sensing capabilities. At the CyRIS Lab, her team will advance next generation biohybrid robots and intelligent sensing systems, integrating living materials, soft electronics, and biofabricated interfaces to enable machines that can sense and adapt in dynamic, real-life environments.

Antonia received her degree (M.Eng.) in Chemical Engineering with distinction from the University of Patras, Greece, in 2017. Two years later, she received her degree (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering from ETH Zürich. In 2022, she received her Ph.D. in Engineering Science at Vrije Universiteit Brussel with highest distinction. Antonia first studied tissue engineering and biofabrication before joining the department of Advanced Materials and Surfaces at Empa, the Swiss Institute for Materials Science and Technology. There she worked on the topic of sensor development for soft robotics. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious fellowship Women in Science (WINS) and joined the soft materials laboratory at EPFL and the NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials.