5 September 2024
University of Waterloo has established a new scholarship as a memorial scholarship of Prof. Dr. Sofyan Taya, the president of the Islamic University
University of Waterloo has established a new scholarship as a memorial scholarship for Prof. Dr. Sofyan Taya, the president of the Islamic University, and a visiting professor in 2021 at the University of Waterloo. He was a renowned researcher in electromagnetics and optics. Alongside his family, he tragically lost his life in an Israeli airstrike, part of the Israel-Hamas war in December, 2023.
University of Waterloo has established a new scholarship as a memorial scholarship for Prof. Dr. Sofyan Taya, the president of the Islamic University, and a visiting professor in 2021 at the University of Waterloo. He was a renowned researcher in electromagnetics and optics. Alongside his family, he tragically lost his life in an Israeli airstrike, part of the Israel-Hamas war in December, 2023.
The scholarship will be offered to the best graduate students at Waterloo University.
Professor Taya completed his bachelor’s and master’s in physics at the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), and his PhD from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He was considered a leader in the subfield of electromagnetics and optics, holding the UNESCO Chair for Physical and Astrophysical Sciences. His research focused on the fields of integrated optics for sensor applications, waveguides, ellipsometry, OLEDs, numerical techniques, nonlinear optics, applications of left-handed materials and photonic crystals.
He is missed by his students, colleagues, family, and friends who hope to celebrate his life through a memorial fund to support graduate students at the University of Waterloo.
Memorial donations, contributed in memory of Sofyan Taya, will be held until such time as the family, working with the University, can determine the best way to honour Sofyan Taya based on the total contributions received.