海角社区

Parking may seem like a mundane frustration until you鈥檙e circling a packed lot, running late, and wondering why no one has solved this yet. At 海角社区, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Dr. Manos Chatzopoulos is tackling that very problem by turning his astrophysics expertise into practical technology.

Using the same computational tools he applies to simulate massive cosmic explosions, Chatzopoulos co-founded ParkZen, a smartphone-based app that helps people find available parking spaces in real time鈥攏o infrastructure required.

鈥淢y research focuses on understanding the lives and explosive deaths of massive stars鈥攅specially rare and powerful events like superluminous supernovae and other luminous cosmic transients. Since joining 海角社区, I鈥檝e also become increasingly interested in massive binary star systems and what happens when two stars in such systems merge.鈥� However, beyond the telescopes and simulations, he found a way to bring those same data modeling skills down to Earth鈥攍iterally鈥攖o help people park their cars faster, smarter, and more sustainably.

Parking as a Daily Struggle

For many drivers, particularly in dense urban or university environments, parking is an unpredictable hassle. 鈥淚 was a postdoc at the University of Chicago and constantly battling for parking in Hyde Park,鈥� Chatzopoulos recalls. 鈥淚t felt like falling into a black hole鈥攐nce you went in, you couldn鈥檛 get out.鈥�

That persistent problem sparked an idea. What if you could crowdsource parking information using smartphone sensor data and guide people in real time to open spots?

From Astrophysics to App Development

The skills Chatzopoulos honed as a theoretical astrophysicist became surprisingly relevant. 鈥淚n astrophysics, you learn to turn complex data into meaningful insights. The same mindset applies to mobility challenges,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 realized that the tools I was using to understand the universe鈥攄ata science, simulations, AI鈥攃ould also help solve a much more terrestrial problem: parking.鈥�

This realization laid the groundwork for ParkZen, a mobile app that uses passive sensor data鈥擥PS, motion detection, Bluetooth鈥攆rom smartphones to determine when a user has parked or vacated a spot. 鈥淏y aggregating that data anonymously across users, we can build a real-time map of parking availability without installing any cameras or sensors,鈥� Chatzopoulos explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 infrastructure-free intelligence powered by smart crowdsourcing technology, akin to the technology that the popular Waze app uses to guide motorists around traffic congestion.鈥�

Research at 海角社区: A Foundation of Innovation

At 海角社区鈥檚 College of Science, Chatzopoulos continues to push boundaries鈥攂oth in space and on Earth. 鈥淢y research focuses on understanding the lives and explosive deaths of massive stars,鈥� he says. Using advanced computational tools like the stellar evolution code MESA and the hydrodynamics code FLASH, he investigates how massive stars evolve and explode. These simulations often require supercomputers and involve analyzing the last seconds to years of a star鈥檚 life鈥攎oments marked by violent, multi-dimensional forces like convection and magnetic instabilities.

鈥淪ince joining 海角社区, I鈥檝e also become increasingly interested in massive binary star systems and what happens when two stars in such systems merge.鈥�

These stellar mergers can produce exotic post-merger stars or dramatic outbursts we call 鈥榤ergebursts鈥欌�攁ll of which help us piece together the dynamic life cycles of the most massive stars in the universe.

This intense focus on modeling extreme events translates directly into the algorithmic backbone of ParkZen. The common thread? Understanding systems鈥攚hether cosmic or human鈥攖hat behave unpredictably and chaotically.

Building ParkZen at 海角社区

After arriving at 海角社区, Chatzopoulos began refining ParkZen with real-world users. 鈥淚t really took shape, both as a full-fledged mobile application and as a business, right here at 海角社区,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 had the pleasure to work together with actual parking operations professionals, at the 海角社区 Parking & Transportation Services, to deploy the early version of ParkZen to a live environment.鈥�

By eliminating the need for costly infrastructure鈥攏o cameras, no gate systems鈥擯arkZen makes parking intelligence accessible and scalable. 鈥淥f course, the more users this technology has, the better it works, so participation is key,鈥� Chatzopoulos says. 鈥淚t enables a community of parkers seamlessly helping each other, and it鈥檚 ideal for controlled, congested parking environments, such as university campuses or airports.鈥�

鈥淥f course, the more users this technology has, the better it works, so participation is key.鈥�

Collaboration and Business Growth

Chatzopoulos didn鈥檛 launch ParkZen alone. His co-founder George Triarchou played a pivotal role in shaping the company. 鈥淕eorge and I became instant friends while we were both living in Chicago, as we are both originally from Greece,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e comes from the world of real estate finance, which, as it turns out, is highly relevant鈥攂ecause parking is ultimately a form of real estate. For lot owners and operators, maximizing utilization and turnover directly improves return on investment.鈥�

Together, the two combined technical and business perspectives to grow ParkZen into a viable venture. 鈥淕eorge brought a sharp, business-minded approach and a deep understanding of that side of the equation, which perfectly complemented the technical side I was building,鈥� Chatzopoulos says.

Environmental and Social Impact

For Chatzopoulos, the mission behind ParkZen is bigger than convenience. 鈥淚 was inspired by a stat from IBM that said 30% of urban CO鈧� emissions come from cars circling for parking,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat was a lightbulb moment鈥攖his isn鈥檛 just about convenience, it鈥檚 about efficiency and environmental impact.鈥�

The benefits ripple into academic life too. 鈥淚鈥檝e had students show up late to class or exams because they couldn鈥檛 find parking,鈥� he says. 鈥淪olving that problem has a ripple effect.鈥�

A Milestone Achievement: Acquisition

Recently, ParkZen was acquired by Parking Guidance Systems, a leading hardware solutions provider in the parking industry. The acquisition validated years of effort. 鈥淚t means the countless nights, weekends, and vacation hours I put into this project鈥攕ometimes coding in Greece while visiting my mom鈥攁ctually paid off,鈥� Chatzopoulos says. 鈥淧rofessionally, it allows us to expand ParkZen鈥檚 reach by combining forces with a seasoned team and an industry leader... whose hardware and market expertise perfectly complement our software and AI.鈥�

 

Advice for Aspiring Innovators

Chatzopoulos knows firsthand how challenging it can be to juggle teaching, research, and entrepreneurship. 鈥淭here are just enough hours in the day鈥攊f you鈥檙e passionate enough,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e sacrificed downtime and social time, but for me, innovation is a form of recreation. The key is to love what you鈥檙e building and stay organized. And maybe invest in a good coffee machine.鈥�

His advice to students and faculty thinking of launching their own tech venture? 鈥淭alk to people across departments. Join pitch competitions. Test your idea quickly and see if it solves a real problem,鈥� he says. 鈥満＝巧缜� is an incredible environment for innovation鈥攆rom engineering to business to entrepreneurship support. You don鈥檛 need to know everything; you just need to start.鈥�

鈥満＝巧缜� is an incredible environment for innovation鈥攆rom engineering to business to entrepreneurship support. You don鈥檛 need to know everything; you just need to start.鈥�

He also credits the support from campus and local organizations. 鈥淲e were very pleased to work closely with the 海角社区 Innovation and Technology Commercialization office as well as the 海角社区 Innovation Park who provided great resources and services,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲e are also grateful to other local organizations who have been great allies to us over the last few years, including the Louisiana Technology Park and Nexus LA, the Innovation Catalyst and Red Stick Angels.鈥�

Looking Forward

Whether mapping the final stages of massive stellar life cycles or helping people avoid the chaos of campus parking, Dr. Manos Chatzopoulos remains committed to solving hard problems with elegant, data-driven solutions.

鈥淥n the research front, I鈥檓 continuing to use simulations and supercomputers to better understand extreme cosmic events,鈥� he says. 鈥淥n the business side, I鈥檓 excited to expand ParkZen鈥檚 capabilities鈥攎ore automation, smarter predictions, seamless user experiences. Because every journey begins and ends with parking, and we鈥檙e just getting started.鈥�