Dr. Georgia Zahariou | Biochemistry | Research Excellence Award

Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece

Dr. Georgia Zahariou is an accomplished physicist specializing in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, photosynthetic water oxidation mechanisms, and bioinorganic magnetic materials. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the National Center for Scientific Research (NCSR) Demokritos in Athens, Greece, where she contributes to cutting-edge research on photosystem II and the molecular mechanisms underlying oxygen evolution. Dr. Zahariou earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with NCSR Demokritos, graduating with Excellence. Her doctoral research focused on spin-spin interactions in metalloradical systems and the mechanistic study of natural photosynthetic water splitting, forming the foundation of her long-term scientific trajectory. She also holds a Master’s degree in Solid-State Physics and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the same institution. With extensive research experience across leading laboratories in Greece and internationally—including the University of Padova and the University of Crete—Dr. Zahariou has contributed to multiple national and European research programs such as HELIOS, THALIS, and KRIPIS. She has presented her work at numerous international conferences, delivered invited talks, and earned important distinctions including the Young Talent Award (2015) and the 4th Poster Prize (2007) from the International Society of Photosynthesis Research. Her scientific output includes over 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings, with contributions published in high-impact venues like Angewandte Chemie, FEBS Letters, and Biochemistry. Her research features both experimental and theoretical studies, reflecting strong interdisciplinary expertise in spectroscopy, magnetochemistry, molecular bioenergetics, and computational modeling. Dr. Zahariou’s work continues to advance global understanding of catalytic mechanisms in natural and artificial photosynthesis, positioning her as a recognized expert in magnetic resonance applications to biological energy conversion.

Profiles: Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

1. (2021). Di-2-pyridyl ketone-based ligands as evergreen “trees” in the “forest” of manganese chemistry: Mononuclear Mn(III) complexes from the use of MnF₃. Polyhedron, 207, Article 115350.

2. (2021). Arrested substrate binding resolves catalytic intermediates in higher-plant water oxidation. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 60, 3156–3162.

3. (2021). Electronic properties of the S = 5/2 Mn(II) complexes [MnPhC(O)NP(O)PPh₂(N,N)(NO₃)], (N,N) = phenanthroline, neocuproine, 2,2′-bipyridine. Polyhedron, 207, Article 115374.

4. (2021). Electronic structure of tyrosyl D radical of photosystem II, as revealed by 2D-hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy. Magnetochemistry, 7, Article 131.

5. (2021). Orientational Jahn–Teller isomerism in the dark-stable state of nature’s water oxidase. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 60, 13493–13499.