Themistoklis P. Sapsis

Themistoklis P. Sapsis is the William I. Koch Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at MIT, affiliated with the Schwarzman College of Computing. He serves as Director of the Center for Ocean Engineering and Associate Director of MIT Sea Grant. His research focuses on nonlinear dynamical systems, probabilistic modeling, and data-driven methods applied to fluid flows, ocean engineering, and extreme events. Notable roles include editorial positions at journals such as Journal of Nonlinear Science and SIAM/ASA Journal of Uncertainty Quantification.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, MIT (2006–2011)
• Diploma in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (2001–2005)

Research Interests: Sapsis’ work bridges nonlinear dynamics, probability, and machine learning to predict extreme events in complex systems such as turbulent flows, nonlinear waves, and ship motions. His methods emphasize statistical quantification and optimization of systems with transient features.

Awards and Honors:

• Bodossaki Award on Basic Sciences: Mathematics (2021)
• Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (DoD, Applied Mathematics)
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2015)
• Three Department of Defense Young Investigator Awards (Navy, Army, Air Force)
• Multiple career development chairs at MIT

Grants and Advising: Sapsis has secured funding for projects on climate modeling, ocean engineering, and machine learning applications. His advising includes collaborations on reduced-order models and extreme event prediction. He leads the Stochastic Analysis and Nonlinear Dynamics (SAND) Lab at MIT.

Labs and Teams: The SAND Lab focuses on integrating data-driven methods with physical models to address challenges in fluid mechanics, climate science, and ocean engineering. Collaborations span academia and industry, emphasizing real-world applications of predictive modeling.