Dr. Spiros M. Constantinides

92, died peacefully at his beloved home in Bonnet Shores in Narragansett, Rhode Island, on Friday, October 10, 2025. “Dr. C.”, as he was lovingly called by his students at the University of Rhode Island (URI), was a Professor of Food Science and Nutrition in the Department of Biochemistry from 1969 until his retirement in 1999, after which he was honored by URI with the status of Professor Emeritus.

From a young age, Dr. Constantinides began what was to be a life of worldwide travel and international experiences that led him to live, work and visit over 17 countries. Beginning in his early years in Palestine, he traveled to Greece to earn his Bachelor’s degree at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, during which time he met his beloved wife, Niovi. Soon afterwards he moved to the United States to attend Michigan State University where he received his Ph.D. and completed a Post Doctorate in Food Science and Nutrition. He was then offered a position at URI where he remained for 30 years.

During his tenure at URI he was an advisor and mentor to countless graduate students from many countries around the world that will fondly remember not only his tutelage but his parties at his home in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Highlights of his career included being invited to teach and conduct research at the University of Valparaiso, Chile and at the University of Campinas, Brazil, where he temporarily moved with his young family. He was also selected to direct projects in Egypt, Oman, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia where he worked with government agencies developing food resources.

Under his direction, URI won a competitive proposal with the Midwest Research Institute for an 8-year project in Saudi Arabia to establish the country’s first Food Regulatory Agency, similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He ran this program as Director making use of his masterful negotiating skills, fluency in Arabic, and vast knowledge of food science. After finally retiring in 1999 he spent more time in his beloved Greece with his wife of 63 years, Niovi, who pre-deceased him in 2022.

A fanatic player of squash in earlier days, he especially enjoyed beating younger players! Rarely seen without wearing his Greek fisherman’s hat, he was a proud Greek with a love for his adopted city of Thessaloniki, and liked nothing more than his wife’s Greek cooking, philosophizing about everything while holding his “worry” beads, and dancing the “zembekiko” when any opportunity arose. He leaves behind a son, Dr. Minas Constantinides and his wife Melissa, of Austin, Texas, a daughter Doris Christelis and her husband Gary, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 5 grandsons and 1 great-granddaughter.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to the Spiros M. and Niovi Constantinides Scholarship for Study in Greece at the University of Rhode Island Foundation (P.O. Box 1700, Kingston, RI, 02881) – a scholarship fund Spiros and Niovi set up at URI to provide scholarship support for selected URI students interested in having an immersive study abroad experience in Greece ( http://alumni.uri.edu/constantinides).