Vangelis studied pharmacy in the UK and following a year of working as a hospital pharmacist, decided to return to Greece to conduct a PhD Thesis on pharmacology (Pharmacology Dept., Medical School, University of Ioannina). After acquiring his doctorate, he continued working in basic pharmacology and physiology as a post-doctoral fellow in the Netherlands and Belgium.
After 15 years of engagement on basic research he was intrigued to learn more about the roles the European Commission plays in making sense of knowledge to inform policymaking in Europe. To this end, he joined the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy and worked for 2 years in the EURL ECVAM, supporting activities towards the promotion of New Approach Methodologies in research.
The next step in his career was the position of Policy Officer in DG Research & Innovation (RTD) in Brussels, where he contributed to the implementation of the European research and innovation (R&I) policy that is related to chemicals and advanced materials.
Currently, Vangelis is working as a Project Adviser in REA. In this position he is contributing to the implementation of the programme cycle of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and more specifically the Staff Exchanges programme.