Michalis Papadopoulos

Michalis Papadopoulos was born in 1936 in Drama, Greece. He studied civil engineering in Thessaloniki and worked for a decade as a freelancer in Western Macedonia before pursuing his doctorate in Aachen, Germany. After the political changeover in Greece, he returned and was elected as a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). He served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for two terms from 1988 to 1994 and as Vice-Rector of the University from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, he was elected Rector of Aristotle University, a position to which he was re-elected in 2000 for another three-year term. Among other honors, he has been recognized by Charles University in Prague "for the cultivation of letters and humanism on a global scale," by the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the title of "Archon-Architect," by the Xenophontos Monastery of Mount Athos with the "Golden Cross of Saint George," and as an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Thessaloniki. The Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the "Grand Cross of Merit" of the Order of Merit, acknowledging his distinguished services to Greek-German relations. In 2000, his book "After the Auditorium" was published, featuring his views on education and current affairs. He contributes articles to daily and periodical press as well as to Greek and international scientific journals. Since March 2004, he has been the President of the Pedagogical Institute. He has been married to Violetta since 1964, and they have two children.