What is your position or role in the DESI project?
Since November 2025, I have been one of the two co-leads of the Alternative Clustering Methods (ACM) topical group within the Galaxy and Quasar Clustering working group in DESI.
Where were you born?
I was born and raised in Greece, in a town called Trikala.
Where do you live now?
Since 2023, I have been living in Chicago, in the United States.
What do you do as part of DESI?
As co-lead of the ACM topical group, I help coordinate our efforts to analyze the DESI DR2 and DR3 data using simulation-based models for a variety of alternative clustering statistics, which are meant to complement the standard BAO and two-point full-shape analyses. I first became involved in this project through my own work on the so-called Wavelet Scattering Transform, a statistic inspired by machine learning. In the past, I have also been involved in projects testing modified gravity and dark energy theories with DESI galaxy clustering data.
What is the most interesting or exciting thing about your job?
I love tackling difficult puzzles, as well as the excitement of working with new observations of the universe for the first time, as has been the case with DESI.
Any advice for an aspiring scientist?
I would advise you to keep dreaming and work on what you love!
What do you do for fun?
I really like many different kinds of sports, ranging from football, basketball, and table tennis all the way to weightlifting. I also enjoy exploring nature and discovering fun events going on in Chicago.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would be your dream job?
This is not easy to answer, as I have always imagined myself as a scientist. But I have always liked linguistics and classics as a hobby, so I guess that in an alternate universe I could be doing something in that direction.
What excites/interests you most about DESI?
I have been really amazed by the quantity and quality of the new data DESI has obtained, but also by the speed at which it all arrived. I am looking forward to more amazing discoveries in the coming months and years!
I also attached a picture of myself, as you asked. Feel free to post these responses on the website, and please let me know if you need anything else.
