The University of Cyprus Honored the Memory of Professor Elias Kyriakides
Naming Ceremony of Amphitheater B102 of the School of Engineering and Memorial Lecture in His Honor
On Friday, October 23, 2026, the University of Cyprus paid a heartfelt tribute to our beloved colleague Professor Elias Kyriakides (1975-2019), naming Amphitheater B102 of the School of Engineering the ‘Elias Kyriakides Amphitheater.’ The ceremony was organized by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, of which he was a founding member.
Family members, colleagues, collaborators, and former students gathered for this special occasion. The presence of Regents’ Professor Gerald Thomas Heydt of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University and Dr. Sid Suryanarayanan, Chief Engineer at Eaton Research Labs in Colorado, USA, who both joined the event online, was particularly moving.
In her welcome address, the Dean of the School of Engineering, Professor Marina Neophytou, observed that the occasion was about far more than a naming ceremony: ‘we are not simply giving a name to this Amphitheater; we are inscribing a human story into the history of our University.’ Having come to know Elias Kyriakides closely while developing the School’s interdisciplinary postgraduate program (Energy Technologies and Sustainable Design), Professor Neophytou recalled him as kind, patient, and attentive, a natural bridge-builder who quietly steered the team toward solutions. Above all, she remembered his warm smile. Elias, she mentioned, took a genuine interest in his students, attentive not only to their academic progress but also to their struggles and concerns, for ‘he had the sensitivity to see the person behind the student’. She also spoke of his conviction that education should reach beyond the walls of the University and that knowledge must serve society.
The first Chair of the ECE Department and a founding member of the KIOS Center of Excellence, Professor Marios Polycarpou, traced Elias Kyriakides’ path from his arrival at the newly established department in 2004 to his central role in building KIOS. He recalled a remarkable scientific legacy: more than 200 publications, four books, two patents, and nearly 10,000 citations, more than half of them accrued after his passing. ‘The publications, citations, research projects, and professional distinctions demonstrate how accomplished a scientist Elias was. They do not, however, fully tell us who Elias was as a person’, Professor Polycarpou noted. Elias, he added, was kind, generous, and thoughtful, always ready to help. He treated everyone with equal respect, regardless of rank or title, cared deeply for his students and colleagues, and faced every challenge, professional and personal, with remarkable optimism. Above all, he said, everyone remembers his genuine smile. In closing, Professor Polycarpou reflected that ‘seven years have passed, but Elias remains a deep part of who we are, of what we built together, and of what we aspire to become’, adding that ‘we are proud that his name will forever be linked to this University.’
Regents’ Professor Heydt, who supervised Elias Kyriakides through his graduate studies at Arizona State University, and Dr Suryanarayanan, his classmate, colleague, and close friend, then shared their personal reflections and memories. They were followed by three of Elias’ former doctoral students, Dr Markos Asprou and Dr Lenos Hadjigeorgiou, Research Lecturers, and Dr Irina Ciornei, Senior Research Associate, at the KIOS Center of Excellence. Each described the decisive role Elias played in shaping their academic and professional lives, from guiding their doctoral research to helping them pave their career paths.
The ceremony concluded with a memorial lecture, ‘Power Electronics Technology – Trends and Applications,’ delivered by the distinguished Professor Frede Blaabjerg of Aalborg University, in Denmark.
The naming of the ‘Elias Kyriakides Amphitheater’ stands as an enduring tribute to an accomplished scientist, an exceptional mentor, and a cherished colleague and friend. In this lecture hall, new generations of students will learn, exchange ideas, and make discoveries of their own, a fitting legacy for a devoted professor who helped shape the academic community of the University of Cyprus.