Athanassios S. Fokas: A Renaissance Scientist

In what follows, some of the seminal contributions of Thanassis (short version of Athanassios) Fokas are reviewed. The goal is to justify the characterization by Israel Gelfand that “Fokas is a rare example of a scientist of the style of Renaissance”. Gelfand’s statement reflects the fact that Thanassis’ career follows parallel academic paths involving Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Biology and Medicine. In this talk, I will try to justify Gelfand’s characterization, utilizing my memories from the nearly half a century that I know Thanassis, as a collaborator and a close friend. I will focus my presentation on his fundamental scientific contributions. Additional achievements, including awards and prizes, can be easily found on the web.