Ilianna Charkoutsaki graduated from University of Crete were she obtained her B.Sc. and Master's Degree from Materials Science and Technology Department, in Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology. The work during her studies concerned the process of Photo-electrochemical  selective etching (PEC). This technique involves selective reactions between semiconductors and electrolyte solutions, due to light absorption. Photo-electrochemical reactions constitute one of the main experimental tools essential for the processing and fabrication of crystalline hetero-structures, to enhance their optical properties. The current focus of her work is the construction of a micro-PEC setup able to fabricate GaN based Air-Gap DBRs which can provide high quality optical cavities and be used for room temperature polaritonic devices.

In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and also provided Classical Music and Theory courses to young children in Greece.