Dr Kontoyiannis is a sea-going physical oceanographer, senior researcher, at the Institute of Oceanography of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. In 1983, he earned a B.Sc. in Physics at the University of Athens, Greece. In 1988 he earned an M.Sc. in Physical Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island / USA, while he finished his Ph.D. in 1992 at the same University. His main scientific interests include: 1) Dynamics and variability of open-ocean flows (Gulf Stream, East Mediterranean) 2) Coastal Circulation (Aegean Sea) 3) Long-term air-sea interaction and oceanographic climatic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 

As of summer 2019, he has published/participated in forty-six (46) peer-review scientific articles in international journals, two of which are monographs. There are about 990 citations to his published work, excluding self-citations. He has a thirty-year experience in dealing with research that involves hydrographic and current-meter observations, i.e., from experimental design of sea-going projects, to scientific writing of research articles.