Hasan Akay earned his B.S. in civil engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 1967. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969 and 1974, respectively. He began his teaching career at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) as an associate professor in the School of Engineering and Technology and was promoted to full professor in 1985. He was appointed the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2000 and Chancellor’s Professor in 2003. In 2008, he served as the interim associate dean for Academic Programs and Research before retiring with his emeritus title in 2010. Before joining the IUPUI faculty in 1980, he served as an assistant professor, associate professor, and assistant chair of civil engineering at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. Akay focused his many years of research and teaching on the development of finite element and computational algorithms for the solution of multiphysics problems, including the development of high-performance parallel and dynamic load balancing algorithms for large-scale problems with a broad range of applications in fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, heat transfer, biomechanics, material processes, and solid-fluid interactions. While at IUPUI, Akay received the School of Engineering and Technology's Doris H. Merritt Outstanding Leadership Award in 2002, the TERA Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997, and the Abraham M. Max Distinguished Research Professorship Award in 1993. He is also a fellow member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a Member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE).