He was born on January 7, 1927 in Bolu. He received his M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri, USA, in 1952, where he studied with a state scholarship. When he returned to Turkey, he was appointed as an operating engineer at SUMERBANK Chemical Industry facilities. He worked as chief engineer in various chemical industry enterprises in Turkey until 1961. Starting from 1962, he joined the faculty of METU Chemical Engineering Department. He taught Chemical Engineering Economics, Chemical Engineering Design, Basic Operations Laboratory, and Chemical Engineering Technology. Between 1969 and 1972, he took a leave of absence from METU with a UNESCO scholarship and received his doctorate degree with his studies at the University of Aston in England. In 1972-1973, he worked as an adjunct faculty member at Eskişehir, School of Pharmacy and Chemical Engineering. He worked as a UNESCO expert at Makarere University, Uganda, between 1981 and 1983. He continued his duty at METU until his retirement in 1984. Asst. Prof. Avni, who was loved by his students and friends with his superior talent, hard work and positive character, passed away in 1991.