A Family Affair: Father and Daughter Celebrate Triple Jacket Milestone

When Sophia Mavris crosses the stage during one of Georgia Tech’s three Fall 2025 graduation ceremonies, she won’t be the only member of her family in regalia. Her father, Georgia Tech Class of 1934 Distinguished Regents’ Professor, Dimitri Mavris will be on stage as part of the faculty — and as the proud parent of a brand-new biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate. The moment will also cement a unique family distinction — with both father and daughter having attained three Georgia Tech degrees, making them a pair of Triple Jackets. Dimitri earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from Tech in the 1980s. Sophia began amassing her Tech credentials some 30 years later.

Growing up, Sophia says her father’s academic career gave her early exposure to the world of engineering, but she never felt pressured to follow in his footsteps. 

“I was always around it,” said Sophia, who earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering in 2020 and her master’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2024. “But I was allowed to pave my own pathway. We were both engineers at Georgia Tech, but we were in two separate domains.”

For Dimitri, whose arrival at Georgia Tech began almost by chance, the Institute quickly became a defining force in his life. Nearly 45 years ago, he left his native Greece — where aerospace engineering wasn’t offered — after his sister married a Tech graduate research assistant who encouraged him to attend the Institute. 

What he found was a rigorous curriculum, outstanding faculty, and peers who shared his passion. 

“In the last four decades, Georgia Tech has evolved quite a bit,” he says. “It is one of the premier institutions — in terms of excellence, the caliber of students we attract, and the reputation we have. I thought that this was the best place for me.”

As did Sophia.

Her academic journey began with a love of math and science in high school. Combined with an early introduction to Tech’s chemical and biomedical engineering programs through her father’s  colleague, her decision to pursue that journey was easy. 

“Georgia Tech is the best in the state and the Southeast for STEM,” she says. “It was a no-brainer.”

While they shared a campus, the two enjoyed their own “bubbles,” as Sophia describes them. With biomedical engineering on one side of campus and aerospace on the other, they built their identities independently, but Sophia found comfort in knowing support was never far.

“If I ever had a bad day or needed advice, he was just a walk away,” she says. 

For Dimitri, his presence on campus positioned him to offer mentorship and counsel to Sophia as she navigated her Tech path, including the timing of internships and progress through research milestones. “By knowing the system,” he says, “sometimes you can avoid wrong moves.”

Both recall fond Tech memories — from family trips; to volleyball, football, and basketball games; to Dimitri’s experience during the 1996 Olympics, when the Institute helped the city prepare its hosting bid by creating virtual representations of possible venues. This ultimately led to Atlanta hosting the 1996 Games and Georgia Tech hosting Olympic athletes. 

As Sophia reflects on her years at the Institute, she acknowledges the rigor that defines the Georgia Tech experience.

“The coursework is very challenging — it’s a badge of honor to say you made it,” she says. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” 

And at this year’s Fall Commencement, Dimitri will be at the finish line, once again donning his regalia to hood his Ph.D. graduates for almost the 70th time. Gesturing to the rows of bound dissertations on his bookshelves, he says, “I hold the record, with 310 Ph.D.s graduated. So having one for my daughter is very special.”