Remembering Dionysios Dionysiou

The Tufts School of Engineering community regrets the passing of Tufts alumnus and environmental engineer Dr. Dionysios Dionysiou, who passed away on November 20, 2023, at the age of 57. Born in Paphos, Cyprus, Dionysiou earned his BS in chemical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and attended Tufts for an MS in chemical engineering. He graduated from Tufts in 1995 and earned a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He spent much of his academic career at the University of Cincinnati, where he worked as a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering from 2000 until the time of his passing.

Dionysiou’s research focused on wastewater treatment, nanotechnology, and water quality control, and was funded by prestigious organizations that included the National Science Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others. He was highly respected by his colleagues and students alike, cultivating a close relationship with many of them.

Dionysiou was lauded throughout his career with honors such as a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2005 and an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from the Marquis Who’s Who Publications Board in 2017. Tufts University recognized his accomplishments in 2012 when he won the Tufts University Graduate School Alumni Outstanding Career Achievement Award. In 2005, Dionysiou returned to Tufts when he was invited to deliver a lecture at a symposium in honor of the late Professor Gregory Botsaris of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Tufts. Dionysiou’s talk, titled “Exploring Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Environmental Applications,” brought together his chemical engineering foundation with his work in environmental engineering.

A prolific researcher, Dionysiou co-authored more than 600 articles and was recognized several years in a row as a highly cited researcher by Clarivate in the categories of engineering, web of science, and environment and ecology. He held two named professorships during his time at the University of Cincinnati — the Herman Schneider Professorship in the College of Engineering from 2009-2012, and the UNESCO Co-Chair Professorship on Water Access and Sustainability from 2013-2017. Beyond his home institution, Dionysiou was widely recognized within the academic community and was a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the European Academy of Sciences, the International Water Association, and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors.

Dionysiou made a significant impact on the environmental engineering and chemical engineering communities through his research, teaching, and mentorship. He will be missed, and his legacy will continue through all those who worked with him and who take inspiration from his research in years to come.