The Professor Sofyan Taya Memorial Fund

Friends and family remember Professor Sofyan Taya as a dedicated researcher, teacher, father and friend. He was the president of the Islamic University of Gaza 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.

Sofyan was known as a kind, gentle, industrious person who made a strong impact on his family, friends, colleagues and all those who knew him. 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.

 

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