Informatics & Engineering

Visual representation of research activities in IT and Engineering

The research activity in the Division of Informatics and Engineering spans a broad range of topics in Information and Communication Technologies, Engineering, and Science. The Informatics group focuses on the research, design and implementation of Big Data, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things technologies and their applications in a number of sectors, including maritime, healthcare, education, culture and, environment. The research activity in the group of Engineering and Engineering Physics mainly involves -but it is not limited to- the study of quantum optical systems, nanophotonics and metamaterials, aiming to applications on the rapidly growing fields of quantum/optical technologies, communications and computing.

Research Topics

Informatics, Engineering and Physics.

Topics

Informatics

Artificial Intelligence – AI-powered well-being

Artificial Intelligence technologies have been influencing various economic sectors. Research on this topic focuses on studying the transition to an AI-powered Well-Being Industry, where well-being is defined as the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. Emerging business models are studied, and new ones are defined. The impact of AI is assessed, and efforts are designed and planned for making results work for society”.

Internet of Things - Fleet Management using GIS:

Using Internet of Thinks we can collect, transmit, store, analyze and finally use and present vessels live data on a Geographical Information System used as Global Monitoring Platform. We use those data for further analysis, and in maritime industry for example we produced information about engine performance, gas emissions, navigation, Vessel performance etc. The produced information of the above data could be used as an input to a support decision system or to an alerting system, back to the Maritime Company that monitors the Vessel.

Vessels Performance Monitoring:

The modern performance systems are based on the data fusion from different data sources, e.g. sensors, weather provider data, GIS data etc. In principle, a vessel performance monitoring system could be a component of the Global Monitoring Platform. The vessel performance system contains the analysis module, the models, and the reporting module. The following models necessary for the performance analysis have been developed for each class of the vessels, power models (power as a function of vessel speed and draught, hull models (displacement and deadweight tables and block coefficients), engine SFOC (Specific Fuel Oil Consumption) models as a function of engine load.

Adjusted urban expansion models using GIS:

The principle of these models is that based on some data (land uses, terrain, road network, population, etc.), the previous trend of urban development can be measured and recorded. The recorded trends are then used to assess the future development of urban areas. In other words, urban sprawl models project future urbanization trends.

Engineering and Physics

Quantum optics:

Quantum optics study the interaction light (photons) with matter (atoms) in a quantum mechanical level. Quantum optical systems retain a very high level of control and are ideal candidates for cutting-edge technological applications. In our group we study the properties of such systems and their possible applications in quantum technologies.

Photonic crystals and nanophotonics:

Photonic crystals are artificial composite materials comprised of two (or more) periodically placed dielectric materials. Photonic crystals exhibit properties, such as band-gap structure, which are very important for the control and manipulation of light. Harnessing light in the nano-level has tremendous applications in the current technology. Applications include medical non-invasive techniques, lighting and energy saving, optical data communications and safety/security. Our group focuses on the study of the properties of light in periodic and aperiodic photonic structures, with emphasis on reflection, transmission, amplification, absorption, and localization.

Metamaterials and wave control

Metamaterials is a class of composite, artificial structures, suitably engineered to exhibit properties that do not occur naturally. These extraordinary applications i.e. cloaking and invisibility, give rise to smart applications with high impact to contemporary technology. In our group, we focus on the control of matter, electromagnetic, optical, and sound waves is such structures mainly through symmetry patterns of the geometry and the non-Hermicity of the materials.

Holography and String Theory

One of the striking developments emerging from the research in string theory is the idea of the celebrated AdS/CFT correspondence. It's remarkable feature is that it relates the strongly coupled regime of the gauge theory to the weakly coupled regime of the string theory and vice-versa. It is a powerful tool for the study of strongly interacting systems by using a conjectured dual weakly coupled string/gravitational theory. In our group, we focus both in formal and more phenomelogical aspects of the correspondence. More precicely there is activity in the following directions: (i) Holographic computation of the Entanglement Entropy, (ii) Holographic study of strongly coupled condensed matter systems and more.

Image: Visual representation of research activities in IT and Engineering

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