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Born in Serres (Greece). Due to my parents' professional commitments, I spent my early childhood in the village of Pentapoli and the small town of Sidirokastro, both of which are located within the wider Serres area. While at the age of ten, my family moved to the town of Serres, where I lived throughout my adolescence. Thessaloniki was my next stop. I studied Civil Engineering at the Aristotle University. In 2008, I came to the States (Blacksburg, VA) to pursue a PhD degree at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Virginia Tech.