Rate My Professor Costas Nikiforidis

Costas Nikiforidis is an Associate Professor of Biobased Soft Matter within the Biobased Chemistry and Technology department at Wageningen University & Research. He holds a degree in Chemistry from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and a PhD in Physical Chemistry of Foods. Following his doctoral research, he joined Wageningen University more than 12 years ago, progressing through various roles to his present leadership position. There, he supervises a team of 10 PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students dedicated to advancing biobased technologies.

Nikiforidis's research focuses on the bio-sourcing of proteins, lipids, and molecular complexes from plant biomass to engineer sustainable and functional materials, particularly emphasizing oleosomes—natural lipid droplets—and their applications in food and therapeutic delivery systems. His investigations explore the structure, stability, and responsiveness of these biostructures, including protein-phospholipid interactions in emulsions, gelation of rapeseed proteins, and controlled release mechanisms such as for CBD from oleosomes. He has produced over 65 peer-reviewed articles and secured four patents. Prominent publications encompass "The dilatable membrane of oleosomes (lipid droplets) controls the storage lipids exchange" (2023), "Regulating the heat stability of protein-phospholipid stabilised oil-water emulsions by changing the phospholipid headgroup or fatty acyl chain" (2026, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science), "The gelation properties of rapeseed proteins are barely affected by co-extracted phenolic compounds" (2026, Food Hydrocolloids), "Controlled in vitro release of CBD from oleosomes via modulation of their membrane density" (2025, Food and Function), and "On the stabilization of plant lipid droplets: Dynamic interplay between oleosins and phospholipids" (2025). As a recognized expert, he regularly presents invited lectures at academic and professional venues on topics including stimuli-responsive plant lipid droplets for selective lipid trafficking and plant-derived lipid droplets as carriers of therapeutics. Nikiforidis also serves on the organizing committee for international conferences such as the Lipid Droplets & Oleosomes series. His scholarship, cited over 4,800 times, significantly shapes advancements in biobased soft matter and sustainable food technologies.