Yiannis John Kaznessis

"The pursuit of happiness can be realized when we make today better than yesterday for all we love." - Yiannis Kaznessis Yiannis Kaznessis made each and every day better than the day before with his pure love and tenacity to always find the good in the bad. Yiannis was an icon of strength, dignity, love, and profound brilliance, and was an exemplary father, husband, and scholar. Yiannis raised two remarkable children with his beloved wife Elaine Kaznessis: Evie Kaznessis and Serafeim Kaznessis, who will each forever be a half of their father, and together will symbolize a whole of their father. Everyone fortunate enough to meet Yiannis has been touched by his optimism, teachings, captivating stories, and handsome smile. His contributions as a distinguished scientist, teacher, innovator, and researcher will last an eternity. Yiannis Kaznessis was born May 23, 1971, in Athens, Greece to his late mother and father, Paraskevi and Nikolaos Kaznessis. He grew up biking around the streets of Athens, studying into the night for college entrance exams, discussing deep philosophical truths with his cousins, playing soccer with friends at the local town square, and enjoying a double-breaded souvlaki pita. At the age of 18, Yiannis Kaznessis was accepted into one of the top chemical engineering programs in Greece, the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. At the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, it became evident that Yiannis would grow to leave a great mark on mankind. In 1994, Yiannis Kaznessis was honored with the Fulbright Award, and at just the young age of 23, Yiannis Kaznessis immigrated to the United States in the pursuit of knowledge for a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. Throughout Yiannis' studies, he not only was shaped into a distinguished scientist but inspired everyone he encountered with his admirable work ethic and selfless spirit. Only days after arriving at Notre Dame, Yiannis met the love of his life and eternal soulmate Elaine Kaznessis, an undergraduate student at St. Mary's College. The couple first met at the Greek-American Club 30 years ago. Together they are the main characters of one of the greatest love stories of all time. Dr. Kaznessis graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 with a doctorate in chemical engineering. Yiannis thereafter completed postdoctoral research with Pfizer Global R&D and the University of Michigan. In 2001, following Dr. and Mrs. Kaznessis' marriage, Yiannis joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota, enhancing the program's elite status. Yiannis Kaznessis was tenured and promoted to full professor in 2011. Along with his professorial position at the University, Yiannis established and directed the Bioinformatics Summer Institute and served as Director of Graduate Studies. Dr. Kaznessis trained and mentored 35 PhD, M.S., and postdoctoral students. Additionally, he authored more than 110 refereed groundbreaking papers and the textbook Statistical Thermodynamics and Stochastic Kinetics. Yiannis was the recipient of many honors, a handful of these awards include the Fulbright Award, the IBM Young Faculty Award, the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, and the S.V. Sotirchos Award, and was a Visiting Scholar at the Isaac Newton Institute of Mathematics, University of Cambridge. In 2003 Yiannis' daughter, Evie Kaznessis, was born. Additionally, in 2006, Yiannis' son, Serafeim Nikolaos Kaznessis, was born. "I am a perpetual student, enjoying continuous intellectual growth that benefits mankind." - Yiannis Kaznessis Yiannis founded General Probiotics in 2018 and took on the role of the company's Chief Executive Officer. At General Probiotics, Yianni directed a team of scientists and engineers in research and development of recombinant live biotherapeutics to fight bacterial infections in livestock and secure safe food production. In 2021, Yiannis launched AgThera to commercialize FDA-registered live therapeutics and revolutionize the way we treat our livestock. Some of Yiannis' daily glimmers were guiding his core four on explorations of the world, bike rides through the trails of the Twin Cities, coaching Evie in Greek from the basketball sideline, debating emerging political questions with Serafeim, and warm morning hugs and coffee with Elaine. While Yiannis healed from colon cancer, he also heroically contributed to cancer research and vaccine discovery with a partnership with the very same hospital that cared for him, the Mayo Clinic. With Elaine, Evie, and Serafeim in his embrace, Yiannis peacefully rested on April 7, 2024. His teachings, humor, strength, love, and memory will be eternal. Our Superman, Yiannis Kaznessis. ΚΡΕΙΤΤΩ ΠΟΙΕΙΝ - make today better than yesterday Yiannis is deeply loved and survived by his wife, children, sister, father-in-law, sister-in-law and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles, Godchildren, Koumbari, and many other close friends and family. On Monday, April 22, 2024, a Visitation will be held at 12:00pm cst, followed by a Funeral Service at 1:00pm at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Avenue S., Minneapolis, Minnesota. A Makaria, a celebration of life meal and gathering, will immediately follow at roughly 2:30pm in the St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church Great Hall and will likely go into the early evening. A family burial will take place in Indiana along with a memorial service in Greece at a later date still to be determined. As the family finds ways to honor Yiannis' life and legacy, in lieu of flowers, if found helpful, dear friends have set up a gofundme memorial fund (https://gofund.me/1784d299) for ease in sending contributions.

Tributes

Yiannis John Kaznessis

May 23, 1971 - April 7, 2024

Tributes

Yiannis John Kaznessis

May 23, 1971 - April 7, 2024

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