Dimitra Simeonidou

Dimitra E. Simeonidou is a Professor of High Performance Networks at the University of Bristol, and a member of the European Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. She works on the development of telecommunications networks, including 5G, and is a specialist in smart city infrastructures.

Early life and education Simeonidou studied engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1987 and master's degree in 1989. She moved to the University of Essex for her doctoral studies, and earned a PhD in 1994.

Research and career After graduating she spent four years at Alcatel Submarine Networks, where she worked as Chief Engineer and introduced wavelength-division multiplexing networks.

In 2012 Simeonidou was appointed a Professor at the University of Bristol, where she Directs the Smart Internet Lab and High-Performance Networks group. She studies high performance networks and wireless-optical convergence. In 2017 it was announced that Simeonidou would lead the University of Bristol efforts to become a testbed for 5G technologies. Her group designed a small 5G emitting box which can ensure connectivity on the move. Bristol is Open provides a test bed for research in future communication technologies. She was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship to develop these technologies. Simeonidou founded two University spin-off companies, Ilotron, which was acquired by Altamar in 2001, and Zeetta Networks. Zeetta delivers software-defined networking (SDN) platforms for enterprise networks. She has investigated the use of quantum cryptography to protect 5G networks. In 2018 Simeonidou worked with the Government of the United Kingdom on their Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, which outlined the strategy to make the United Kingdom a world leader in 5G.

She is interested in ways that 5G can transform skills development and cultural experiences. Working with Zeetta, the BBC and Cambridge Communication Systems, Simeonidou demonstrated a 5G-enabled tourism catalyst project at the 2019 Digital Transformation World conference in Nice. The catalyst allowed visitors to immerse themselves in history of the sites they were visiting using virtual reality. The demonstrations included an animation to bring to life the Roman Baths. She has also worked with Jamie Cullum and the charity Music for All to deliver the world's first music lessons across 5G networks.

Alongside her research, Simeonidou is committed to increasing the representation of women in engineering.

Awards and honours In 2019 Simeonidou was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng). She is the first woman at the University of Bristol to be elected a Fellow. for contributions to optical networking systems and applications. In the 2025 Special Honours, Simeonidou was awarded an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by King Charles III "for services to Communications Technologies research and scientific policy".