Dr. Constantinos Stathopoulos

Dr. Constantinos Stathopoulos is currently serving a three-year term as the Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Patras, Greece, which is also his alma mater. He completed both his undergraduate and PhD studies in Greece, with his PhD thesis focused on the “eukaryotic RNase P ribozyme,” one of the pioneering PhD projects on ribozymes in the country. Following his PhD, Dr. Stathopoulos joined Yale University for postdoctoral research in the lab of the legendary Dr. Dieter Söll. According to Dr. Stathopoulos, the work on ribozymes was challenging, as it was uncharted territory in Greece at the time, thereby making his move to Yale University in the United States a game changer. In his own words, the postdoc “opened up a whole new scientific world and reshaped my view of science.” After a postdoc at Yale, Dr. Stathopoulos took his first faculty position at the University of Thessaly in Larissa, where he helped build up a new group of RNA biologists before he later moved to Patras as an Associate Professor.

Looking back on his undergraduate years, Dr. Stathopoulos acknowledged that while the foundational knowledge was there, access to information was limited because there was no internet, and acquiring new journals for the library was a challenge. Relatively, Dr. Stathopoulos believes that things are much easier now because students have access to the best international textbooks and resources. Although he opined that ease has come at a cost, he believes students sometimes struggle to navigate the overwhelming amount of information and evaluating what is truly significant. Dr. Stathopoulos did not let the challenge stop him from pursuing his PhD and described himself as lucky because he worked with a young professor who had just returned from Yale University, a decision that shaped the rest of his career.

When asked what advice he would give to the next generation of RNA researchers, he shared:

“Stay focused, consistent, and always dig deep into the literature. Trust your mentors and don’t overlook the value in older papers—there are a lot of great ideas that were left unfinished or ahead of their time. RNA biology is a vast and fast-moving field. With all the data we’re generating today, especially thanks to high-throughput methods and AI, it’s more important than ever to ask clear, meaningful biological questions. That’s where the real discoveries happen.”

Dr. Stathopoulos’ first big inspiration was his undergraduate professor in Developmental Biology, who had trained at Washington University in St. Louis at the time and was described as having raised the bar for his legendary lectures, which included weekly journal clubs based on landmark papers from Nature, Science, or Cell. He also credits Prof. George J. Dimitriadis (a pioneer in mRNA technologies) for inspiring him early on. To this day, continues to reference Dimitriadis’s 1978 Nature paper in his talks. His PhD advisor, Prof. Denis Drainas, also played a significant role in his development and supported him throughout his career. Most significantly, his time with Dieter Söll at Yale transformed his perspective on science. He describes Dr. Söll as a visionary who recognized the potential of genomics early on and encouraged bold thinking and hard work. During his time at Yale, Dr. Stathopoulos co-authored over 15 papers, a highly productive period that gave his career a significant boost. Beyond research, he also learned from Dr. Söll how to manage a lab, train students, and support young researchers, some of whom now have labs of their own, and that is something he is very proud of.

Currently, Dr. Stathopoulos’ lab is leading two significant projects that he is excited about. The first focuses on how tRNA interacts with T-box riboswitches in pathogenic bacteria. They are exploring how this tRNA-dependent regulatory system can be targeted to develop species-specific antibiotics—basically, disrupting those interactions with high precision. The second investigates vault RNAs, transcribed by RNA polymerase III. He mentioned that their lab still knows very little about the biology of vault RNAs, but they resemble tRNAs in many ways, which makes them wonder if there’s an evolutionary connection. He described the area as fascinating and believed it could reveal a great deal about RNA diversity and function.

Dr. Stathopoulos is also the organizer of the upcoming 30^th tRNA Conference, to be held in Heraklion, Crete, in 2026 (www.tRNA2026.gr). He previously hosted the 25^th edition in Kyllini and recalls the RNA Society’s support as invaluable. The upcoming conference will feature leading RNA scientists, including many active members of the RNA Society, such as Tsutomu Suzuki, Kristin Koutmou, and Juan Alfonso.

As they say, life is not a bed of roses. Dr. Stathopoulos had his fair share of challenges. One of the biggest challenges he faced was helping to build a new department from scratch, including assembling a research team that was mostly comprised of undergraduate students whom he had trained himself. He described it as a tough but rewarding experience. He had strong support from colleagues like Prof. M. Ibba (then at OSU, now at Chapman University), Prof. H. D. Becker (University of Strasbourg), Dr Jinwei Zhang (NIDDK-NIH) and Dr Glenn Merlino (CCR-NCI) who offered training opportunities for his students, shared materials, and collaborated with them. “Their generosity and mentorship were key. I’ll always be grateful for their help during that time.” He said. It is not surprising to know that one of Dr. Stathopoulos’ proudest achievements to date is seeing that the new department he helped to build is still standing. Despite the challenging circumstances, he remained focused on his research goals and maintained momentum, even when funding was scarce. He recalled that one of the most fulfilling moments was when one of the original undergraduate students who helped build his lab eventually joined his group in Patras as an Assistant Professor. That felt to him like everything had come full circle, and it reminded him that persistence does pay off. 

Dr. Stathopoulos has been a member of the RNA Society since 2002, and he was motivated by the belief that the RNA Society would be his link to the broader RNA research community. He was right in submitting that the RNA Society has grown beyond expectations and has become a vibrant, inclusive hub for scientists. To appreciate the RNA Society members, he said;

“The people involved—whether as officers, committee members, or conference organizers—are not just outstanding researchers, but also genuinely committed to advancing the field and supporting others. Being part of that network has meant a lot to me.”

Additionally, he attended the RNA Society meeting in Kraków in June 2019, just before the pandemic. He described the science as outstanding but noted that what stood out most was the atmosphere—being surrounded by good friends, exchanging ideas, and just enjoying the shared passion for RNA. “Something is energizing about those in-person conversations that you can’t replicate anywhere else.” He said. Moreover, he believes that even though Greece does not have a large RNA research community, organizing an RNA Society conference in Greece will go a long way toward promoting Greek academia and inspiring young students who are eager to be part of the next wave of discoveries. Dr. Stathopoulos has done it before, and he is willing to take up the challenge again.

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Stathopoulos’ favorite RNA is tRNA. His whole scientific life has revolved around it! He described tRNA as one of the most ancient and essential RNA molecules, and even after decades of research, he remarked that tRNA continues to surprise the RNA community. Moreover, he said the discovery of regulatory tRNA-derived fragments, for example, opened entirely new areas of study. “It’s like the molecule that keeps on giving.” Due to Dr. Stathopoulos’ love for tRNA, it was not a coincidence that his favorite RNA journal article is on tRNA, titled “tRNA biology: New twists and turns,” written by Eric M. Phizicky and Anita K. Hopper. He is a big fan of Eric M. Phizicky and Anita K. Hopper because their work is always clear, insightful, and packed with valuable perspectives. Also, he mentioned their first paper in RNA (Apostolidi M. et al., 2015), which presented a novel T-box riboswitch that they first shared at the 25th tRNA Conference in Greece. The article marked the start of their deep dive into the regulatory roles of tRNAs in bacterial transcription—an exciting journey that’s still unfolding.

In conclusion, Dr. Stathopoulos emphasizes that RNA research is too important to be slowed down, as it is easy to forget just how much we’ve already accomplished—and how much more there is ahead. He reiterated that RNA was the first molecule of life, and it still holds enormous promise for improving human health and understanding biology at its core. He encouraged RNA researchers to keep pushing forward, at least for the sake of future generations.

“The future of RNA biology is bright—but only if we keep asking the right questions and training the next generation to do the same.”

Dr. Constantinos Stathopoulos can be found on LinkedIn and also through their lab’s Facebook page.