Ioannis was born in Athens, Greece in 1975. He received his first degree (B.Sc. Hons (First Class) in Construction Management) from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1999. He then went on to complete a Ph.D. in Building Engineering (2002) at the same university. The title of his Ph.D. thesis was 'Studies of water-mediated processes affecting the decay and conservation of masonry materials'. Prior to his appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cyprus (August, 2005), Ioannis was a Visiting Lecturer in the same Department for two years (2003-2005). He also worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Edinburgh (2002-2003). Dr. Ioannou is a Member of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) and an Affiliate Member of RILEM. He is also a member of several National Technical Committees of the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS).

Characterization of traditional and other building materials (e.g. stones, mortars, mud bricks, aggregates); Capillary liquid transport phenomena in porous media; Mechanisms of building stone decay; Salt crystallization; Weathering and conservation of ancient monuments and buildings; Environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient composite building materials.