Dimitrios Papavassiliou
Associate Professor
Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering

Talk about a transition. For most people in the corporate world, a job change may mean simply a new title or working for a new company. But for Dr. Dimitrios Papavassiliou, it meant a new state and career. A native of Greece and alumni of Aristotle University , Papavassiliou came to America to continue his post-graduate education and later work for the Mobil Technology Company Upstream Strategic Research Center in Dallas . When he heard about a position with the biological and materials engineering department at OU, Papavassiliou readily took on the challenge. He says teaching has given him a whole new outlook.

"I appreciate that there are always new ideas that come from students, because even though we might be teaching in a classroom alone, there is something new that might come that way," Papavassiliou says.

Formerly a research engineer, Papavassiliou says he likes the hands on interaction that the classroom provides. Papavassiliou says he also tries to change at least 10 percent of the material each year so that students are on top of industry trends and new innovations.

"Engineering is one of those disciplines that students have to work harder as they are passing the curriculum," Papavassiliou says. "It becomes harder as you go through, but this is the opportunity to grow the most."

While Papavassiliou keeps students creative juices flowing during the school year, he has his 2 and a half-year-old son, racquetball, reading and movies to fill his free time. He also is a fan of the variety of cultural events OU provides. Papavassiliou says he encourages students to attend concerts, plays, sporting events, museums and all that the university has to offer.

"The best advice I can give to students is to stay focused on your studies, but also manage to have fun," Papavassiliou says.