Prof. I. Koukouvelas was born in Thiva, Greece, in 1962. He studied geology at the University of Patras from where he was graduated in 1984. He carried out postgraduate studies at University of Patras (Geology Department) and completed (1989) his PhD thesis on "Geotectonic Evolution of the Rhodope Zone"; under the supervision of Prof. T. Doutsos. In 1995 he joined the faculty of the Geology Department of the University of Patras. Since 2010 he is professor of Geology. He has conducted postdoctoral work at the Stanford University (USA) and St. Marys University of Canada.