Konstantinos Gkrintzalis
Assist. Prof
I am a biologist with significant expertise in Redox Biology and its applications in Biosciences. My postgraduate research focused on clinical biochemistry and following on the sclerotial metamorphosis of filamentous fungi in relation to oxidative stress. As a postdoc I employed biochemical and metabolomic approaches within the fields of nanotoxicology, cell toxicology and ecotoxicology. I am an assistant professor and a SIRG awardee on an research trajectory within applications of Biochemistry in Microbial Physiology and Systems Ecotoxicology. I have established the first freshwater organisms facility in the School of Biotechnology.
Peer Reviewed Journal
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2021) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.
Honors and Awards
Other Activities
Research Interests
I am a Biologist with
a focus in Biochemistry by training. My postgraduate research was oriented on Oxidative Stress
and Redox Biology which are crucial to physiological phenomena (i.e. signaling,
aging etc.) and in the underlying mechanisms of several pathological conditions
(i.e. cancer, neurodegenerative diseases).
During my postgraduate studies, I developed novel biochemical methodologies for biomarkers of oxidative stress and specifically for the quantification of protein and lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation, thiol redox state, reactive oxygen species, and two ultrasensitive protocols for the quantification of proteins. During my PhD thesis I studied sclerotial metamorphosis and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus and provided a biochemical link between these two processes via oxidative stress. I extended this project to a metabolic perspective as a postdoctoral fellow using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Furthermore, I participated in several collaborations among different fields of research. Specifically, in a collaboration with the astrogeophysicist Dr. Christopher P. McKay (from NASA Ames Research Center) I studied the formation of life-inhibiting oxidants in Mars-like analogue desserts and developed novel biochemical methods useful for planetary research. My biochemical experience allowed me to participate in a diverse set of research projects ranging from bioindicators for environmental pollution, animal models for ischemia/reperfusion injury, in vitro assessment of anticancer drugs, neurodegeneration models and ageing in mice, and clinical samples for obstructive jaundice.
In 2014 I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Université catholique de Louvain, where I worked on the mechanisms of cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles on human intestinal cells and the protective effects of phenolic antioxidants. I also studied the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of different plant tissue extracts from Rhus tripartitum, an endemic Tunisian medicinal plant, on intestinal cells after exposure to ethanol stress. Following, from 2016 I was a research fellow at the University of Birmingham, working on Environmental Metabolomics withing the context of Molecular Ecotoxicology. I studied the physiology and growth of Daphnia magna using metbaolomic signatures upon exposure to mixtures of chemicals. For my research I developed a miniaturized approach for the acute toxicity and algae feeding and discovered the molecular fingerprints of metabolite coronas on nanomaterials.
In 2017 I joined the School of Biotechnology as an assistant professor and secured prestigious funding from Science Foundation Ireland by a Starting Research Investigator Grant on Environmental Metabolomics. Working in a reputable academic institute with a dynamic, inspiring, and interactive environment in Dublin City University gave me the opportunity to establish the first freshwater organism facility and set out an independent research career. I am actively involved in teaching and research within the School and across it borders participating in various visiting and host activities.
Web of Science: h-Index: 12, 323 Citing Articles without self-citations, 14.33 average citations per item
ORCID: 0000-0002-6276-495X Scopus Author ID 23097934200
During my postgraduate studies, I developed novel biochemical methodologies for biomarkers of oxidative stress and specifically for the quantification of protein and lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation, thiol redox state, reactive oxygen species, and two ultrasensitive protocols for the quantification of proteins. During my PhD thesis I studied sclerotial metamorphosis and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus and provided a biochemical link between these two processes via oxidative stress. I extended this project to a metabolic perspective as a postdoctoral fellow using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Furthermore, I participated in several collaborations among different fields of research. Specifically, in a collaboration with the astrogeophysicist Dr. Christopher P. McKay (from NASA Ames Research Center) I studied the formation of life-inhibiting oxidants in Mars-like analogue desserts and developed novel biochemical methods useful for planetary research. My biochemical experience allowed me to participate in a diverse set of research projects ranging from bioindicators for environmental pollution, animal models for ischemia/reperfusion injury, in vitro assessment of anticancer drugs, neurodegeneration models and ageing in mice, and clinical samples for obstructive jaundice.
In 2014 I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Université catholique de Louvain, where I worked on the mechanisms of cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles on human intestinal cells and the protective effects of phenolic antioxidants. I also studied the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of different plant tissue extracts from Rhus tripartitum, an endemic Tunisian medicinal plant, on intestinal cells after exposure to ethanol stress. Following, from 2016 I was a research fellow at the University of Birmingham, working on Environmental Metabolomics withing the context of Molecular Ecotoxicology. I studied the physiology and growth of Daphnia magna using metbaolomic signatures upon exposure to mixtures of chemicals. For my research I developed a miniaturized approach for the acute toxicity and algae feeding and discovered the molecular fingerprints of metabolite coronas on nanomaterials.
In 2017 I joined the School of Biotechnology as an assistant professor and secured prestigious funding from Science Foundation Ireland by a Starting Research Investigator Grant on Environmental Metabolomics. Working in a reputable academic institute with a dynamic, inspiring, and interactive environment in Dublin City University gave me the opportunity to establish the first freshwater organism facility and set out an independent research career. I am actively involved in teaching and research within the School and across it borders participating in various visiting and host activities.
Web of Science: h-Index: 12, 323 Citing Articles without self-citations, 14.33 average citations per item
ORCID: 0000-0002-6276-495X Scopus Author ID 23097934200
Teaching Interests
My teaching philosophy has been strongly
influenced by my early experiences and my roles initially as a student and
later as a teacher, which shaped my character and perspective in teaching so
far. I will try to sketch my perspective and what motivates me by the following
principles which provide fundamental structure for me as a teacher.
1. Cognitive growth is a developmental process requiring time and patience. A teacher must have patience and will for the important task they are appointed to. This is fundamental, and I thank my teachers for having the time and putting the effort in me first, and now being on the other side, I try to keep this momentum to the maximum for my students.
2. Teachers should focus on strengths and use positive feedback to help learners grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Teachers should emphasize in development of their students on multiple levels. I often find myself organizing my students in groups especially in scientific related activities. I was given this opportunity several times in laboratory projects where simply one person could not physically perform the task. It was cumulative work that awarded everyone with success and the best outcome. An example of teamwork have been the numerous publications from student projects, although the greatest reward was seeing students collaborate and helping each other in the lab.
3. Critical thinking helps students internalize learning. People should not be treated as empty vessels into which knowledge is simply just poured into. Rather, they should be helped to understand the world from their own phenomenological vantage point and in this way develop a critical way of thinking to consolidate information and transform it to new knowledge.
4. Teaching is not static, and teachers must seek continuous renewal and growth. Innovation in teaching is something I dedicate myself to explore novel ways for enriching the teaching material and my methods of approach and lectures. I am constantly revising my lectures and teaching materials as I try to improve myself. By performing self-assessment via questionnaires for teaching evaluation, I take into consideration comments from students and colleagues. So far, I have revised lab manuals and lectures slides and seen the improvement in performance both from my side but from the students’ side, in terms of improvement of exam scores and understanding the curriculum.
1. Cognitive growth is a developmental process requiring time and patience. A teacher must have patience and will for the important task they are appointed to. This is fundamental, and I thank my teachers for having the time and putting the effort in me first, and now being on the other side, I try to keep this momentum to the maximum for my students.
2. Teachers should focus on strengths and use positive feedback to help learners grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Teachers should emphasize in development of their students on multiple levels. I often find myself organizing my students in groups especially in scientific related activities. I was given this opportunity several times in laboratory projects where simply one person could not physically perform the task. It was cumulative work that awarded everyone with success and the best outcome. An example of teamwork have been the numerous publications from student projects, although the greatest reward was seeing students collaborate and helping each other in the lab.
3. Critical thinking helps students internalize learning. People should not be treated as empty vessels into which knowledge is simply just poured into. Rather, they should be helped to understand the world from their own phenomenological vantage point and in this way develop a critical way of thinking to consolidate information and transform it to new knowledge.
4. Teaching is not static, and teachers must seek continuous renewal and growth. Innovation in teaching is something I dedicate myself to explore novel ways for enriching the teaching material and my methods of approach and lectures. I am constantly revising my lectures and teaching materials as I try to improve myself. By performing self-assessment via questionnaires for teaching evaluation, I take into consideration comments from students and colleagues. So far, I have revised lab manuals and lectures slides and seen the improvement in performance both from my side but from the students’ side, in terms of improvement of exam scores and understanding the curriculum.