[3] He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005), a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2003), and received the ENI Prize on Renewable Energy 2011.
He completed his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota in 1975, with advisors Arnold Fredrickson and Rutherford Aris on the topic of modeling of population dynamics.
His thesis was published in 1978 with the title, "Mathematical Modelling of the Dynamics of Interacting Microbial Populations.
[4] Stephanopoulos began his career as an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in 1978.
[5] As noted in the citation for his ENI Prize, Stephanopoulos's research has addressed the advancement of multiple aspects bioengineering: He is mostly renowned for his studies on the global transcription machinery engineering technology, concerning the reprogramming of the gene transcription of particular bacteria, in order to modify their microbial cells, increasing their efficiency in transformation of raw material in hydrocarbons.