Sotirios Makris obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras in 2003 and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the same department (1998). He served as Executive Director of the Teaching Factory Competence Center (2021–2024) and as Research Program Manager (1998–2024) at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras. He has collaborated with Greek and European industries to train engineers and executives in implementing robotic systems and artificial intelligence applications in industrial production.

Since 2024, he has been elected Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras. He teaches the following undergraduate courses: Mechanical Design & Workshop I, Computer-Aided Mechanical Design & Workshop II, Technology & Production Systems for Aeronautical Structures, Material Handling Machines, and Special Topics in Production Systems.

He has been a member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) since 2013, serving as a Research Affiliate (2007–2013) and Vice President of Research Affiliates (2009–2012). He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Federation of Automation Control (IFAC) Technical Committee 5.1 on Manufacturing Plant Control, the Panhellenic Association of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (since 1998), and the Technical Chamber of Greece (since 1998). Additionally, he is involved in European networks of excellence, including VRL-KciP (Virtual Research Laboratory for a Knowledge Community in Production) since 2004, the International Association of Learning Factories (IALF), and the European Manufacturing and Innovation Research Association (Emiracle).

Since 1998, he has participated in over 30 funded research projects in collaboration with European industries, serving as Coordinator, Technical Manager, and Principal Researcher. He has organized two international scientific conferences, contributed to organizing eight others, and served on the scientific committee of over 20 conferences. He is actively involved in European Commission working groups on industrial production and robotics for industry. He leads working groups on Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Generative AI in Manufacturing) and participates in groups on AI & Data, Industrial Metaverse, Industrial Robotics, Systems Engineering, and Robotic Perception.

He is an Associate Editor for three high-impact scientific journals: “Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing” (Elsevier, Impact Factor 9.1), “International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing” (Taylor & Francis, Impact Factor 3.7), and “Robotics” (MDPI, Impact Factor 3.7), where he is a Section Board Member.

He has published over 200 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and book chapters. His research has been widely recognized, with over 7,000 citations according to Scopus and Google Scholar.

He is the author of the scientific monograph “Cooperating Robots for Flexible Manufacturing” (Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing, ISBN 978-3-030-51590-4, 2020) and co-author of “Predictive Maintenance in Smart Factories” (ISBN 978-981-16-2939-6, 2021, DOI: https://10.1007/978-981-16-2940-2).

He has delivered keynote speeches to prominent Greek and European industrial companies on flexible and intelligent manufacturing systems and artificial intelligence in industrial production. He has also contributed articles to national and international media on industrial production, artificial intelligence, and smart robotic systems.