George Nicholas Hatsopoulos

He was the founder of Thermo Electron Corporation, a global leader in providing technology-based instruments, components, and systems that offer total solutions for a broad range of markets. He served as chairman and chief executive officer since its founding in 1956 until his retirement as CEO in June 1999, and as chairman in December of that year. He served on the board of directors as chairman emeritus. During his tenure as CEO, Thermo Electron grew into an international company with over 24,000 employees in 23 countries. He continued to serve on boards of several organizations and was a Life Member of the Corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received numerous awards, including ASME’s Henry Laurence Gantt Medal for outstanding contributions to the engineering profession. He was the principal author of three books on thermodynamics and published over 60 articles in professional journals. He continued to pursue his interest in thermodynamics and served as a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Thermionic Research and Technology. He launched a new company which focused on innovative concepts in the biomedical field, where he held the position of Chairman and CEO.