University of Athens Department of Informatics and Telecommunications
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The Department of Informatics and Telecommunications belongs to the School of Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. It was officially founded in 1989, however, it started functioning in 1986, further to a decision taken by the Senate, as an "Interdisciplinary Study Programme in the Computer Sciences and Communications" between the Faculties of Physics and Mathematics. Today the Department has 39 faculty members: 11 Professors, 12 Associate Professors, 13 Assistant Professors and 3 Lecturers. In 2000, the Department was renamed from Department of Informatics to Department of Informatics and Telecommunications.
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[edit] People
39 full-time faculty members, about 20 permanent employees who belong to the Technical and Administrative personnel, and many research associates are presently employed by the Department. Most of the research associates are PhD candidates and postdoc researchers who are being supported by externally funded research and development (R&D) projects/programmes. More than 1200 undergraduate students, 200 postgraduate students and 100 PhD candidates are enrolled in the Department's programmes.
[edit] Undergraduate programme
The undergraduate studies programme of the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications reflects the convergence of "Information Technologies and Telecommunications", effected by the domination of digital technology and the resulting unification of information and communication systems. Therefore, in parallel with the Theoretical Informatics and Computer Systems, the subject of Telecommunications is also taught under a unified approach, as well as contemporary applications and information, and communication services.
The convergence of Computers and Telecommunications offers great development potential, and will play a very important role in the advancement of science, society and economy, along with a simultaneous creation of many work positions.
Since its foundation, the Department has focused with perceptivity and scientific competence on this direction, and today is a "successful technology convergence paradigm". From the beginning, three sectors were created, for Theoretical Informatics, Computer Systems and Applications, and Communications and Signal Processing, while the Department attracted excellent faculty, whose expertise covers the breadth of the three divisions. The students, after they acquire the basic foundations of the science during their first years of study, they can choose from the three divisions those courses that better suit their interests and capabilities.
[edit] Postgraduate studies
The Department of Informatics and Telecommunications offers a postgraduate program that leads to MSc and PhD degrees.
The Department also participates in the following interdiciplinary postgraduate programmes:
- Electronics, Radiocommunications and Automation
- Specialization in Electronics and Radiocommunications - Specialization in Electronic Automation
- Logic Algorithms and Computation
- Fundamental and Applied Cognitive Science
- Medical Informatics
- Microelectronics Economics
- Economics and Administration of Telecommunication Networks
[edit] Research
The current research of the Department includes the following activities:
- Algorithms
- Artificial Intelligence
- Communications Networks
- Communications Systems
- Computer Graphics
- Computer Hardware and Software
- Databases
- Devices and Subsystems
- Educational Technology and *Distance Learning
- Energy Policies
- Human Computer Interaction
- Information Systems
- Internet Applications
- Methodologies, Techniques and *Tools for Software Development
- Programming Languages
- Scientific Computing
- Signal and Image Processing
The Department is equipped with a number of contemporary research laboratories. Apart from the faculty personnel, a large number of research associates, postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students are involved into the Department's research.
The overall research activity of the Department is divided into the following categories:
- Publications
- Research Projects
- PhD Theses
[edit] Infrastructure
The teaching rooms of the Department provide audiovisual equipment, personal computers and high speed internet connection. In addition, lectures may be broadcasted over multiple teaching rooms inside the Department. A state of the art Teleteaching Room is also available. The specialized labs are equipped with the necessary infrastructure.