“A Conversation with Héctor D. Abruña” is a contribution from the Oral History Project of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Héctor D. Abruña (known to his friends as Tito; which derives from the diminutive of his first name in Spanish “Hectitor”), the Emile M. Chamot Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell is interviewed by his long-time friend and colleague, Prof. Frank DiSalvo, the John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science and Director of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. This wide-ranging conversation, between two long-time friends, colleagues and collaborators, explores the influences from Tito’s early childhood, growing up in Puerto Rico, the people who inspired and encouraged him to pursue a career in science and how, through a series of less than direct turns, he came to Cornell in 1983. It also describes the evolution of fuel cell and battery research, starting with a joint project and the Cornell Fuel Cell Institute, to the current Energy Materials Center at Cornell (emc2). It also describes his years as Chair of the department (2004-2008) and how the Department has changed through the past three decades.