In the list of top discoveries of 2025, as created by the Foundation Falling Walls The name of the scientist from Crete came in, Dr. Athena Anastasaki.

The Foundation announced the finalists in five scientific categories competing for the title ‘Science Breakthrough of the Year’. For each category, distinguished international expert committees have chosen ten finalists, based on their excellent potential to promote humanity and create positive changes for the global community.

From each category, a finalist will be ‘science breakthrough of the year’. The five winners will be announced on September 16, 2025.
In addition, the Falling Walls Engage, Female Science Talents, Lab and Venture will also show a winner who will be honored as “Science Breakthrough of the Year” at the Falling Walls Summit.

All awardees will present their work on November 9, during the Falling Walls Summit, which will take place from November 6 to November 9 in Berlin – with a worldwide promotion.

Dr. Athinas Anastasaki, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, “throwing the wall of the circularity of plastics”, belongs to the category of natural sciences.

He was born and raised in Athens (originally for which he is proud – from Crete) and studied chemistry at the University of Athens.

During her undergraduate studies, she began her research career in polymer chemistry under the supervision of Professor Marinos Pitsikalis, with whom she published her first scientific work.
Considering that a publication was a good sign, he did everything he could to convince Professor Dave Haddleton to accept her for a doctorate at the University of Warwick, the United Kingdom. Despite the big weather differences between Greece and England (Sun VS continuous rain), she enjoyed the experience at Warwick and graduated in late 2014 with the Jon Weaver Award for the best doctoral dissertation at Polymer Chemistry in the United Kingdom.

In early 2015, he accepted a postdoctoral researcher’s position in the context of Monash -Warwick, between the Department of Pharmacy at Monash University and Warwick, under the supervision of Professors Thomas Davis and Dave Haddleton. It was followed by the Elings Fellowship and then the Global Marie Curie Fellowship, who gave her the opportunity to work with Professor Craig Hawker and return to the sun – at the University of California, in Santa Barbara.

Dr. Athina Anastasakis joined the Materials Department of ETH Zurich in January 2019 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to an Associate Professor in early 2025.

Source: Cretalive