Dr. Charalambos Billinis, DVM, PhD, DipECZM

Prof. C. Billinis graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1993. In 1998, he completed his PhD in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the same University. He also holds the European veterinary specialization in Zoological Medicine, with a subspecialty in Wildlife Population Health through the European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM).

Since 2023, he has served as Rector of the University of Thessaly. He is also Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly. During his academic career, he has held several senior leadership positions, including Vice-Rector for Financial Affairs, Planning and Development of the University of Thessaly, Head of the Department of Public and One Health, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, and Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine.

Professor Billinis has successfully supervised six doctoral dissertations and has served as Principal Investigator in more than 20 research projects. Among these, he was a member of the coordinating team of the European Union-funded project “WildTech” with a budget of €6,000,000, which focused on the development of molecular diagnostic tools, including microarray technology, and serological assays for the detection of pathogens transmitted from wildlife species to domestic animals and humans, with particular emphasis on zoonotic diseases.

His scientific work includes nine chapters in encyclopaedias or books, more than 200 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, over 5,000 citations, and an h-index of 41, as well as numerous conference abstracts. He was also responsible for the organization of the 13th European Wildlife Disease Association Conference.

In addition, Professor Billinis is a member of the European Digital Innovation Hub in the health sector, entitled “Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industry Transformation through Artificial Intelligence Digital Services” — Health-Hub, which has been selected for funding under the Digital Europe Programme 2021–2027 as part of the European Digital Innovation Hubs network.

Finally, he actively contributes to the national effort to address sheep and goat pox as President of the National Scientific Committee for the Management and Control of Sheep and Goat Pox.

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):