UNM Department of Physics and Astronomy mourns the loss of Distinguished Professor Mansoor Sheik-Bahae
August 11, 2023
Distinguished Professor Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, died of complications from cancer on July 10, 2023.
There are many tributes being offered in Sheik-Bahae’s memory and all touch on one essential quality - his exceptional humanity. Even before learning of his impressive personal and scientific accomplishments, people were universally struck by his warmth, humor and generosity. He was a treasured colleague and mentor and welcomed lifelong friendships with many.
While UNM was his home for almost 30 years, many different communities around the world mourn his passing. Mansoor grew up in Isfahan, Iran and readily talked of the beauty and history of that city. He visited his family there as often as he could. As the first in his family to come to the U.S., he and his wife Sherry helped many family and friends with the transition to life outside of Iran.
Sheik-Bahae came to the U.S. in the midst of the Islamic Revolution and received a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. followed by a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After conducting research at the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida, Sheik-Bahae joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UNM in 1994. He was elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 2000, Fellow of the SPIE in 2023, and became a UNM Distinguished Professor in 2014.
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