Christos Athanassiou Research Professor athanassiou@ksu.edu

Area(s) of Specialization

Insect Farming (e.g. mass rearing of insects for food, feed, fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection agents, pharmaceuticals and much more, through the newly established Insect Farming Initiative.

Research Focus

His research is focused on insect biology and detection, pest management, chemical and non-chemical control of insect pests in different ecosystems, but also on the utilization of insects as food, feed and waste management.

 

Selected Publications (Complete list on Google Scholar)

Hubert J., Stejskal V., Athanassiou C. G. and Throne J. E. (2018). Health hazards associated with arthropod infestation of stored products. Annual Review of Entomology 63: 553-573.

Rumbos C. I., Karapanagiotidis I., Mente E. and Athanassiou C. G. (2019). The lesser mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus: a noxious pest or a promising nutrient source? Reviews in Aquaculture 11: 1418-1437.

Athanassiou C. G., Phillips T. W. and Wakil W. (2019). Biology and control of the khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium, a major quarantine threat for global food security. Annual Review of Entomology 64: 131-148.

Agrafioti P., Kaloudis E., Bantas S., Sotiroudas V. and Athanassiou C. G. (2020). Modelling the distribution of phosphine and insect mortality in cylindrical grain silos with Computational Fluid Dynamics for precision fumigation: Model validation with field trials. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 173: 105383.

Rumbos C. I., Karapanagiotidis I. T., Mente E., Psofakis P. and Athanassiou C. G. (2020). Evaluation of various commodities for the development of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. Scientific Reports 10: 11224.

Rumbos C. I., Adamaki-Sotiraki C., Gourgouta M., Karapanagiotidis I. T., Asimaki A., Mente E. and Athanassiou C. G. (2021). Strain matters: Strain effects on the larval growth and performance of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. Journal of Insects for Food and Feed 7: 1183-1194.

Campbell J. F., Athanassiou C. G., Hagstrum D. W. and Zhu K. Y. (2022). Trobolium castaneum: A model insect for fundamental and applied research. Annual Review of Entomology 67: 347-365.

Athanassiou C. G., Smetana S., Pleissner D., Tassoni A., Gasco L., Gai F., Shpingelman A., Bravo Cadena M., Gastli M., Conceicao L., Gronich E., Paolacci S., Chalkidis V., Kuthy M., Stolzenberfer R. E., El Yaacoubi A., Mehlhose C., Petrusan J.-I. and Rumbos C. I. (2024). Circular and inclusive utilization of alternative proteins: A European and Mediterranean perspective. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 46: 100892.

Adamaki-Sotiraki C., Choupi D., Vrontaki M., Rumbos C. I. and Athanassiou C. G. (2024). Go local: Enhancing sustainable production of Tenebio molitor through valorization of locally available agricultural byproducts. Journal of Environmnetal Management 355: 120545.

Karkanis A., Ntatsi G., Vasilakakou E., Karavidas I., Ntanasi T., Rumbos C. I. and Athanassiou C. G. (2024). Combining Tenebrio molitor frass with inorganic nitrogen fertilizer to improve soil properties, growth parameters and nutrient content of Sonhus oleraceus crop. Bioresource Technology 418: 131901.

Nayak M. K., Athanassiou C. G., Stejskal V. and Arthur F. H. (2026). Current status and future prospects or contact insecticides in stored product protection. Annual Review of Entomology (in press).

Zafeiriadis S. and Athanassiou C. G. (2025). When pests become biorefineries: Exploring the biology, waste valorization and public health aspects of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) in a circular economy context. Science of the Total Environment 1000: 180358.