Greek researcher who returned from the US waiting for funding

‘Solving an unsolved occupation gives maine the aforesaid restitution arsenic completing a crossword. I bash it arsenic a hobby,’ says Dimitrios Ntalampekos. [Alexandros Avramidis]

Dimitrios Ntalampekos, 34, graduated with an exceptional people of 9.98. He earned a cleanable 10 successful 39 courses, falling conscionable abbreviated successful one, for which helium received a 9. “He did the close thing,” helium says of the prof who withheld the 10.

‘Many Greek scientists overseas bash fantabulous work and want to return, but they are hesitant, afraid. There needs to beryllium stable probe funding’

Ntalampekos graduated from the Department of Mathematics astatine the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and, aft a distinguished world vocation successful the United States, returned to AUTH past year arsenic an adjunct prof successful his department. This year, helium achieved a top European honor, receiving €1.3 cardinal successful backing implicit 5 years from the highly competitory ERC Starting Grants 2025 of the European Research Council (ERC). He is the lone idiosyncratic successful immoderate Greek university to unafraid ERC backing this year. His probe will absorption connected fractals, which helium describes arsenic “the astir analyzable shapes successful nature.”

“My heavy emotion for mathematics came from my father, who was very skilled astatine it. He started showing maine precocious school-level mathematics successful elementary, and I loved it,” helium tells Kathimerini. Growing up successful Katerini, adjacent Thessaloniki, helium was an outstanding student. “My parents ne'er pressured maine to take a peculiar field. Of course, since I scored 19,800 points successful the nationwide university entranceway exams, they asked whether I mightiness see medicine oregon subject schools,” helium recalls. “I thought astir it. But I decided: I’ll study mathematics,” helium said firmly.

“Solving an unsolved occupation gives maine the aforesaid restitution arsenic completing a crossword. I bash it arsenic a hobby. At first, I wanted to go a schoolhouse teacher, but probe became a portion of my beingness during my studies,” helium explains.

His teacher recognized his talent aboriginal connected – consistently fantabulous study cards spoke for themselves. “The quality betwixt a 9 and a 10 lies successful the perfection of the work. That’s why I think I got 10s – due to the fact that I’m a perfectionist. My begetter besides played a relation – helium was a customs serviceman – who advised me, ‘Solve the problems three times connected scrap insubstantial earlier writing the last version.’

“No, my classmates didn’t spot maine arsenic a nerd. I had friends, though the groups were small; possibly they thought I was different,” helium adds.

His professors astatine AUTH were immensely supportive, some during his studies and successful preparing for postgraduate school. “One prof would fto maine use his bureau to work connected exercises during the holidays,” helium recalls.

After graduating successful 2013, helium continued his studies successful the US, earning his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, successful 2018. He then worked arsenic a postdoctoral researcher astatine Stony Brook University successful New York and aboriginal arsenic an adjunct prof astatine the aforesaid institution. His probe was funded by the US National Science Foundation.

He returned to Greece with his household and to AUTH arsenic an adjunct prof successful 2024. “Life successful the US was hard and stressful. At the Mathematics Department of AUTH, astir of the professors are young,” helium emphasizes. However, helium besides came look to look with the realities of probe successful Greece. “Even though I came backmost past year, I haven’t been capable to unafraid backing for my research. Many Greek scientists overseas bash fantabulous work and want to return, but they are hesitant, afraid. There needs to beryllium steady probe funding. The bureaucracy is besides excessive present and procedures are too complicated. That’s however the essence gets lost,” helium comments, saying that a ministry dedicated to probe is essential. “We request a wide probe strategy, governmental continuity, and not an ambiance of instability,” helium stresses.

Asked to explicate what fractals are, helium smiles. “Fractals are complex, non-smooth geometric shapes successful which each smaller portion shares a akin geometric structure with the whole. They look successful galore earthy phenomena, such arsenic coastlines, mountainous landscapes, stream networks and successful models of works and crystal growth. One of the cardinal questions we will analyse is when and however a fractal signifier tin beryllium ‘transformed,’ arsenic if made of a malleable material, into a smoother, much understandable signifier successful a controlled way. This occupation has applications successful mapping three-dimensional, non-smooth surfaces – similar a upland landscape, a quality face, oregon adjacent the surface of the quality brain,” helium explains.