speaker biography

Δήμητρα Μακρυνιώτη

Dimitra Makrynioti is an Optician–Optometrist with a long-standing academic career. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Patras, specializing in Optics and Contact Lens Optometry, with a focus on corneal morphology.  She is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and has held the position of External Research Associate at Eurolens Research in Manchester, UK—the largest European research group in the field of contact lenses. Additionally, she has collaborated with the Myopia Control Laboratory of SUNY College of Optometry in New York, USA.

She has taught Optometry and Contact Lenses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Greek universities, as well as at The University of Manchester and in the Ophthalmology Clinics of the University General Hospital of Rio and the University General Hospital of Ioannina. Furthermore, she has delivered lectures and seminars organized by commercial and scientific associations and companies in the field of Optics and Optometry in Greece. 

Her research and scientific interests include: Contact Lenses, Cornea, Optometry, Alternative Teaching Methods, and Holistic Wellbeing. Her academic output reflects her dedication to science, with numerous publications in Greece and abroad. She has authored books, contributed chapters to collective volumes, and published articles in scientific journals. She actively presents her research at national and international conferences, including: the Panhellenic Conferences of Optics & Optometry (SOOE, PEOO, EAO), BCLA & IACLE (UK), AAOpt & ARVO (USA), ISCLR (Canada), EAOO (Malaga), OCCSEE (Croatia), and more. She has also been awarded national and international scholarships, honors, prizes, and excellence grants. 

In parallel with her academic and scientific pursuits, she is deeply engaged in volunteer work and demonstrates a strong commitment to the holistic wellbeing of patients, collaborators, and students. Lastly, she works as a freelance scientific consultant through collaborations with various businesses.