Obituary of Pankaj Kumar Das

COLONIE - Pankaj was born in Kolkata, India to Susama Paul Das and Upendra Nath Das. After earning his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1964, he took a position as assistant Professor at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, now New York University Tandon School of Engineering. In 1968, he joined the University of Rochester, then in 1974, he became a Full Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He taught at RPI for more than 25 years, advising many Doctoral Students, researching lasers, optics and semiconductors and publishing many scientific articles and 3 books on those subjects. Pankaj became a Professor Emeritus upon his retirement from RPI and moved to the University of California at San Diego, California where he continued to teach electrical engineering, publishing scientific papers, and advising PhD students for nearly 20 years. Pankaj was always an adventurous man who had a passion for travel. He traveled and taught nationally and internationally. A lively, creative person, always up for adventures and visiting new places, meeting new people and sailing around Lake George, Hudson River and San Diego Bay. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Van Kirk Das, his children Andrea (Mitchell) and Joshua (Jennie), grandchildren Rachel, Anna, and Gabriel, his brother Pranab (Binata), sisters Priti and Lilly, nieces Barna and Progga as well as many other nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his sister Asru Das Nandy. Cremation has taken place through the care of Simple Choices, Inc. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Das Family, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com