In loving memory
ProfessorDr. Ali ShihabSabbir
Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IUB
Founding visionary of JUKTI
Passed away 22 July 2020, New York
He imagined a place where CSE students could grow beyond the classroom, and gave it a name that means logic. Every JUKTI gathering since carries a part of that idea.
A tribute
A tribute
We deeply mourn the untimely demise of Professor Dr. Ali Shihab Sabbir. Professor Sabbir breathed his last in New York on the 22nd of July 2020. Ever so exuberant, Dr. Sabbir, while leading the Center for Cognitive Skill Enhancement at IUB, inspired so many young minds to pursue research, and more so to become more compassionate and well-rounded human beings.
His contribution to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IUB is immense, and the wisdom he imparted to many of his students over the years is insurmountable. He nurtured young talents so closely and meticulously that many of them are able to chase their aspirations and are now inspiring others. A brilliant research scholar and an impactful educator, Dr. Sabbir contributed immensely to the field of Distributed and Context-Aware Collaboration with many scholarly publications and patents.
Professor Dr. Ali Shihab Sabbir, in so many ways, was a harbinger of scholarship, an inspiration to his students and peers. His gregarious smile and his companionship as a mentor, colleague and friend will be greatly missed. We hope that he finds solace in his journey beyond life, and may his friends and family find the courage to cope with this grief.
He will live on in the works of many of his students, and Professor Sabbir’s life will be celebrated in the knowledge that he disseminated out into this world.
Goodbye Captain! May you find peace.
His idea
The club that began on a trip
On a departmental trip to Kuakata, Dr. Sabbir, then Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, envisioned a platform that would help students grow beyond the classroom. He proposed its name: JUKTI, meaning logic, a fundamental concept in computer science.
JUKTI was founded in 2014. In July 2015, as Dean, he closed its first programming contest with the Department of CSE. Today, the club carries his legacy forward by empowering students, nurturing technical talent, and creating opportunities for learning, innovation and collaboration.
যুক্তি
“Logic”
His journey
A life of learning
1994
B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics
University of Dhaka
1998
M.S. in Computer Science
City College of New York, where he went on to teach as an adjunct lecturer until 2004
2005
Ph.D. in Computer Science
City University of New York; then a postdoctoral research associate at the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York
2006
Joins IUB
In July, as Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering and Computer Science
2011
Associate Professor
The same year, a US patent he co-invented was granted
2014
JUKTI is founded
The club he imagined on a trip to Kuakata, under the name he gave it
2015
Learning how to reason
As Dean, launches IUB’s Center for Cognitive Skill Enhancement
2017
Executive Director, CCSE
Leads the centre’s research collaborations and outreach to young students
2020
Passes away in New York
On 22 July, as a Professor of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at IUB
2015 · Center for Cognitive Skill Enhancement
Learning how to reason
On 20 April 2015, IUB inaugurated the Center for Cognitive Skill Enhancement, with the theme “Learning How to Reason”. Funded by a grant of 25 million taka under the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project, the centre was coordinated by Dr. Sabbir, then Dean, who later became its Executive Director.
At its opening he described how the centre would help students of different backgrounds collaborate under the broad umbrella of cognition, and how cross-pollinating ideas could reverse the growing compartmentalization of knowledge in a world that is ever more connected. Through it, he inspired many young minds to pursue research.
His work
Scholar and mentor
Selected works
- 2011Method and Apparatus for Timing Information Flow in a Distributed SystemPatentUS Patent 7,877,748 B2, with K. Kwiat and K. Ravindran
- 2016Devising a Strategy for Playing Bangla Hangman (Jhulonto Manob) Based on Character Frequency DistributionICIEV 2016, with Aunnoy K. Mutasim and M. Ashraful Amin
- 2013Bridging Digital Divide: “Village Wireless LAN”, a Low Cost Infrastructure Solution for Digital CommunicationICAEE 2013, with IUB students
- 2011Birth Record Communicator: A Pathway to Automated Health Data Acquisition SystemWISH 2011 at the AMIA Annual Symposium, Washington, DC
- 2004User Assisted Tools for Concurrency Control in Distributed Multimedia CollaborationsACM Multimedia 2004, New York, with K. Ravindran
- 2001Cost-optimal Multicast Trees for Multi-source Data FlowsIEEE INFOCOM 2001, with K. Ravindran, D. Loguinov and G. Bloom
Student projects he guided
He nurtured young talent closely and meticulously, and many of his students now inspire others.
Remembering
In pictures
Hover to see each photo in colour.
He will live on in the works of his students
“Dr. Sabbir, who joined IUB in July 2006, was an integral part of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, and was someone respected for his scholarship, kindness and hard work.”From IUB’s condolence notice, July 2020
From his students, colleagues and friends
Memories
No memories shared yet.
Were you his student, colleague or friend? Be the first to share one below.
Sources
- Ali Shihab Sabbir, PhD: faculty profile, Department of CSE, IUB (archived)
- IUB News: Center for Cognitive Skill Enhancement inaugurated, 20 April 2015 (archived)
- IUB News: Dr. Ali Shihab Sabbir appointed as Executive Director of CCSE, 2017 (archived)
- IUB News: Dept. of CSE hosts Intra IUB Programming Contest, July 2015 (archived)
- Condolence notices from IUB and from his students and colleagues, collected by JUKTI.
- Memories are shared by visitors and read by the club before they appear.