Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Constantinos Bokis
Friday, October 23, 2026
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Patricia Lorenzana
301-405-1935
plorenza@umd.edu
“My diverse professional journey in industry as a Ph.D. chemical engineer”
Abstract: The chemical industry is foundational to modern economies and daily life as it supplies energy and products that society relies on. Nearly every other manufacturing sector depends on it. A career in chemical industry involves innovation, changes, and surprises. In this presentation, I will discuss my experiences in the chemical and petrochemical industry throughout my career. The first few years after my PhD, I worked in a process simulation software company as a polymer thermodynamics specialist. Then I joined a major petrochemical company where I held several technical and managerial positions in the areas of thermodynamics, real-time optimization, process development and scale-up, and life cycle assessment and sustainability, before I retired earlier this year. I will discuss each of these assignments and will present relevant technical vignettes to provide context. I will close with some thoughts about the principles that I consider essential for a successful and fulfilling career in the chemical industry.
Bio: Constantinos (Costas) Bokis was born in Athens, Greece. He graduated from the National Technical University of Athens with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1989. That year, he joined The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where he earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering with emphasis on applied thermodynamics. In 1995, he joined Aspen Technology in Cambridge, MA as a polymer thermodynamics specialist. In 2001, Costas joined ExxonMobil in Fairfax, VA. In that company, he held a number technical and management positions in R&D, refining, process engineering, and sustainability, before retiring in September of 2026. Costas lives in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife and their 14 year old daughter.
