• Could you tell us a few words about your background? I grew up on the island of Crete, Greece, where I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Physics. Since the University of Crete has a strong scientific community in astrophysics, I decided to continue there for my Master’s degree in Astrophysics and Space Physics. I am currently a member of the TALES network, pursuing my PhD in another part of the Mediterranean, at the University of Naples Federico II.

• What is the most exciting thing about your job ? Meeting and socializing with people from all around the world. The events organized within the TALES network, as well as conferences, offer a unique opportunity to interact with people who have remarkable expertise in their fields. This is not only a great way to acquire knowledge, but also a constant reminder of how much there is still to learn. Additionally, the opportunity to travel to new places is a great bonus.

• Why did you choose to become a scientist ? I have always been fascinated by the vastness of the universe and the mysteries it holds. I still remember my reaction as a kid when I first heard about black holes, I could hardly believe such objects existed. From that moment, I new I wanted to study more about space some day, and well, here we are.

Figure Caption: (Left) Michail on Castel Sant’Elmo, Napoli. (Right) MIchail and his sisters at their hometown, Rethimno, Crete.

• What is the main focus of your PhD project ? The main goal of my project is to study the properties of accretion discs in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Using archival data as well as data from upcoming large-scale surveys such as LSST and Gaia, we aim to characterize the optical variability of AGN. This will allow us to constrain key physical parameters and gain insight into the structure of their accretion discs.

• What do you do for fun? I am a big fan of sports, especially basketball and tennis. I also enjoy traveling, swimming, and watching films.