Research Team

Dr. Areti Andreopoulou is an Associate Professor in the Laboratory of Music Acoustics and Technology (LabMAT) at the University of Athens, Greece. She has a bachelor’s degree in music studies from the University of Athens (2005) and a Master’s (2008) and a Ph.D degree (2014) in music technology from New York University. Her fields of interest include spatial audio, the design and evaluation of immersive environments, auditory displays, acoustics, and data sonification.

Dr Areti Andreopoulou’s work will focus on the implementation of efficient real-time algorithms for the analysis of the human singing voice and the extraction of all necessary features describing one’s performance in terms of tonal and rhythmic accuracy, expressiveness, and pronunciation. In addition, she will supervise and assist in the development of the gamification aspects of the platform, and the design, execution, and analysis of the necessary user studies.

Head of the Section of Mechanics, School of Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Dean of the School of Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences (2000-2006), Vice Rector of the NTUA (2006-2010) and General Secretary for Lifelong Learning. Given his highly valued research contributions in the fields of Mechanics and Physics, Professor Spathis, will lead the research on the development of the hardware component of the VibroFON system.

Konstantinos Bakogiannis is an engineer, musicologist, and musician specialising in sound and music computing, holding a Ph.D. and M.Eng. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NTUA and an M.A. in Music Studies from NKUA. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Music Acoustics and Technology (NKUA), working on computational acoustic technologies and immersive audio modelling. His previous work at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications (NKUA) focused on the physical modelling of ancient Greek musical instruments and the digital reconstruction of cultural heritage soundscapes, and he has also taught sound design, interactive media, and creative coding at the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema (NKUA). Classically trained in piano, harmony, and counterpoint, he combines scientific research with artistic creation through compositions for contemporary dance and interactive installations.

With a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and bachelor’s degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Musicology, Dr. Bakogiannis has the necessary electrical engineering, signal processing, programming, and music-related skills, to work on the implementation and development of the hardware and the software components of the VibroFON system.

Martha Papadogianni-Kouranti is a music teacher, musicologist and musician. She holds a bachelor's degree in Music Studies from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2008). She completed her postgraduate studies in 2014 at the Department of Acoustics, Communication, and Technology at the Technical University of Berlin. Her master’s thesis focused on rhythm and pitch perception of adult and children cochlear implant users. She has a Ph.D degree from the Department of Music Studies of NKUA (February 2024). Currently she is a postdoctoral researcher in the program “Multisensory Music Perception: Applications of Psychoacoustics in the Community” at the Department of Music Studies, NKUA. 

With expertise in Audio communication and Technology as well as in Musicology, and extensive research experience in Auditory Tactile Music Perception, Dr. Papadogianni’s involvement in the project will concern the use and design of the most appropriate protocols and methods for the assessment of the VibroFON assistive device.

Chrissostomos Papaspyrou member of the deaf and hard, of hearing community, secondary school educator, expert in Greek Kinematic language. His work evolves around the creation and implementation of innovative teaching and learning tools for students with special needs. Given on one hand his background in Physics and mathematics and on the other his extensive experience in special education, Dr Papaspyrou will be involved in both the implementation as well as the evaluation of the prototype system.

Eleftheria Manta: with a background in Visual Arts, Contemporary Art and New Media, and extensive research work on the analytical philosophy of language, with a focus on music and deafness, as well as on the development, use, and assessment of assistive tools for people with hearing disabilities, Mrs. Manta will work on the design of the assistive device and the protocols and methods for its evaluation.

Ioannis Malafis: with his extensive and well acknowledged experience as a recording engineer Mr. Malafis will help with the audio engineering aspect of the device, as well as with the technical design and support of the controlled evaluation experiments, the dissemination workshop, and the final performance.

Eleni Tavelidou is a PhD candidate at the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. A graduate of the same department, she also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Acoustics from Solent University Southampton (United Kingdom). Her research focuses on three-dimensional audio processing (Ambisonics) and vibration analysis, room acoustics, and the application of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. 

Professional experience includes working as an acoustic consultant in the United Kingdom on projects involving noise assessment, vibration control, and acoustic modeling. Currently she is working on investigating the role of VR technologies in distance music education. With a background in Music Studies and Room acoustics and her strong programing background, Mrs Tavelidou will work towards the implementation of the signal processing routines used for the extraction of the musical information from the audio stream, the manipulation of the data, as well as the collection, the encoding, and the superposition of the augmentation cues, of the user vibrotactile stream.