A Conversation with Andreas Acrivos

Dr. Andreas Acrivos, Albert Einstein Professor of Science and Engineering, Emeritus, at the Levich Institute located at the City College of New York, talks about his life and career with his former student Dr. Eric S.G. Shaqfeh, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering of Stanford University. Born in Greece to an affluent family, his life took a definitive turn during the German occupation of Greece in the second World War. He moved to the United States to study Chemical Engineering, with the plan of returning to his native country to build an industry. Instead, he became an integral part of American academics and was instrumental in developing the Chemical Engineering programs at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and City College of New York. Always pushing his research beyond the formal training he received, he sought to attract the most talented and ambitious students, and served as an example to many young Greeks who chose to follow in his footsteps.