Dimitrios Kouretas was born in Patras, Greece in 1962. He studied Pharmacy at the University of Patras and received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Department of Chemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. From 1990 to 1992, he worked as a Researcher at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA. Subsequently, in 1995, he was elected a member of the Teaching and Research Staff at the University of Thessaly. Today, he is Professor of Animal Physiology – Toxicology and Director of the laboratory of Animal Physiology at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the University of Thessaly.

His research interests lie in the evaluation of the bioactivity of plant polyphenolic extracts, the development of bio-functional foods and feeds, the evaluation of human metabolic profile, and  the  investigation of  the  toxic effects of  long-term,  low-dose exposure  to chemical substances. He has co-authored over 250 scientific articles published in peer- reviewed international journals. His publications have been cited over 15,000 times with an h-index of 68. He also serves as an Associate Editor for the scientific journals “Food and Chemical Toxicology” and “Environmental Research” and as an Academic Editor for the scientific journals “Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity” and “Antioxidants”.

His work in the area of “Food Innovation” has been awarded in Greece and in the European Union. Furthermore, he has been an expert of the European Commission in the technological platform “Foodforlife” during the periods 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 and since 2018 a member of the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental, and Emerging Risks (SCHEER). Since January 2019, he is a member of the World Academy of Sciences. Finally, from January 1, 2024, he serves as the elected Governor of Thessaly Region.