About Me
I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).
My research focuses on the design, optimization, and operation of optical and data communication networks — spanning from access to core — using combinatorial optimization, machine learning, and physical layer modeling to enable efficient, resilient, and autonomous network operation.
Research Interests
Optical Network Architectures
Design and analysis of WDM/elastic optical networks (EON) across core, metro, access (including P2MP/PON), datacenter interconnects, and on-board optical systems.
Network Planning & Resource Allocation
Routing and Wavelength/Spectrum Assignment (RWA/RSA), elastic bandwidth allocation, multi-period planning, traffic grooming, and joint IP-over-optical layer optimization.
ML & Physical Layer Modeling
QoT estimation, impairment-aware routing, physical layer modeling (filtering, multi-vendor transponders, launch power), and data-driven network planning.
Resilience & Survivability
Multi-layer protection and restoration, soft failure recovery, spectrum sharing for resilience, and fault management in transparent and elastic optical networks.
Autonomous & Disaggregated Networks
SDN/NFV-controlled open and disaggregated networks, automated reconfiguration, closed-loop self-healing, ML-driven network monitoring, optical network white-box transponder management.
Deterministic Networking
Deterministic networking for time-sensitive and industrial applications (Industry 4.0, 5G/6G fronthaul), queueing principles, scheduling for Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and TDM-PON, latency-guaranteed services.
Quantum-Secure Networking
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network planning and operation, relayed and switched QKD architectures, security constraints and key management for networks.
Recent Publications
Journals
Conferences
For a detailed record of my publications, visit the Full List of Publications or my Google Scholar profile.
Teaching
- Computer Networks II (5th semester, Track Compulsory course), sole instructor, 2022– Course page
- Advanced Network Architectures (M.Sc. Computer, Telecommunications and Network Engineering), sole instructor, 2022– Course page
- Computer Networks Laboratory (2022–2025), co-instructor
- Signals and Systems (3rd semester, Compulsory course), instructor (Teaching Assistant: Anastasia Lygizoy), 2025– Course page
Projects
- Designing and Configuring Deterministic Network Domains for Industry 4.0 and Centralized 5G/6G Virtual Functions, 2 years, Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (ΕΛΙΔΕΚ), Greece, 11/2023–11/2025 Project page
- ALLEGRO - Agile uLtra Low EnerGy and secuRe netwOrks, Horizon Project page
- ORCHESTRA: Optical Performance Monitoring Enabling Dynamic Networks using a Holistic Cross-layer, Self-configurable flexible Approach, E. C. Horizon 2020
- NEPHELE" End-to-end Scalable and Dynamically Reconfigurable Optical Architecture for Application-aware SDN Cloud Datacenters, E.C. Horizon 2020
- IDEALIST:Industry-Driven Elastic and Adaptive Lambda Infrastructure for Service and Transport Networks, E.C. FP7
- ARMONIA, Self-configured and unified access and metro network, GSRT, Greece, 2019-2021
- EEONPO: Energy Efficient Optical Network Planning and Operation, GSRT, Greece, 2016-2017
- 5G-Phos, Phox-Trot, PHOSPHORUS, Diconet, LASAGNE
Honors & Distinctions
- Recognized in the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List 2023, 2024, 2025 – Link
- Scholarships
- Postdoctoral scholarship, State Scholarships Foundation (ΙΚΥ), Greece, 1/2017–1/2019
- Postdoctoral fellowship, Irish Research Council and IBM Ireland, 8/2011–8/2013
- Bursary for M.Sc. in Advanced Computing, Imperial College London, U.K., Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded, 2003–2004
- Invited talks at major conferences:
- OFC 2019 – "Slotted Optical Datacenter Networks with Sub-Wavelength Resource Allocation"
- OFC 2015 – "Evaluating flexibility degrees in optical networks"
- Best paper awards:
- IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology 2011 Best paper award (awarded 2014) – "Elastic Bandwidth Allocation in Flexible OFDM-based Optical Networks"
- Europar 2012 best paper award – "Topology Configuration in Hybrid EPS/OCS Interconnects"
- E-science 2007 best poster – "Joint Communication and Computation Task Scheduling in Grids"
- Associate Editor, IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications & Networking, 2018–2024
- Exemplary Reviewer awards:
- IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, 2015, 2016, 2017
- IEEE Communications Letters, 2013, 2014, 2015
- Conference Committee member:
- ONDM 2019, 2020 and 2022; PIMRC 2020
- OFC 2021–2024 subcommittee N3 (Architectures and software-defined control for metro and core networks)
- OFC 2024 subcommittee N3 chair
- ECOC 2025– subcommittee SC 6 (Architecture, modelling and performance of optical networks)
- Reviewer in journals: IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology, IEEE/OSA JOCN, IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Communications Letters, Elsevier Computer Networks, Springer Photonic Network Communications; and conferences: IEEE Globecom, IEEE ICC, ONDM, OFC.
- Elsevier Optical Switching and Networking Top Cited Article 2005–2010 award – "A new Burst Assembly Scheme Based on the Average Packet Delay and its Performance for TCP Traffic"
Contact
Kostas Christodoulopoulos
Assistant Professor
Department of Informatics and Telecommunications
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Panepistimioupoli, Ilisia, 157 84, Greece
Room: B19
Email: kchristodou [at] di.uoa.gr