Dr. Paul F. Agris is the youngest of three brothers who all graduated from APHS (Robert ''61 and Dr. Joseph Agris ''59, who was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2003). His parents, Leonard and Evelyn Rokaw, still reside in Asbury Park. After graduating with a BS degree from Bucknell University, Dr. Agris received his doctorate in biochemistry from M.I.T. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University in the department of molecular biophysics and biochemistry from 1971-1973. He was an assistant, associate professor, and full professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He became professor and the head of the department of biochemistry at North Carolina State University. He has been a consultant to several major corporations. Dr. Agris served as president and board member of the American Foundation for Aging Research. He founded several professional organizations, and has received many awards and honors in his chosen field.

Dr. Agris holds 1 patent and has 3 patents pending. He has authored 3 books, 124 peer reviewed publications, 6 chapters in various books, and 6 peer reviews. Dr. Agris is considered a world authority in his area of specialization.

When asked what he feels are his most rewarding accomplishments, Dr. Agris responded, "To instill in students, especially those underrepresented in the sciences (women and minorities), a sense of wonderment and excitement in the process of discovering something that no one has ever discovered before". The quote that best reflects his philosophy is taken from Carl Sagan, "Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge."