We are incredibly saddened to announce that one our graduate students, Niharika Dalpati, passed away on April 17, 2023. She was visiting family in India when she passed peacefully while sleeping. Words cannot express what this loss means to myself and our research group. Our group is a family and this feels especially personal.
Niharika was only 3 months away from graduation with her PhD in July 2023. She was finished with experiments and only writing up results. She planned to find a job in chemical industry where we know she would have been an excellent scientist. She was the de facto grad student leader of the group and her energy and excitement about chemistry was felt by everyone in the lab. Her impact on our department also cannot be overstated. She was an active member of multiple committees focused on diversity and graduate student issues. In all regards, she was a model graduate student and one that any advisor would welcome into their group. I was honored to served this role for her during her time on this earth.
On July 27, 2023, I gave a special seminar in honor of Niharika. A thesis defense in her absence, if you will. At this event, I also announced the establishment of an award in her honor. The Niharika Dalpati Memorial International Graduate Student Award will be established in our department to honor the outstanding contributions of international graduate students in both research and departmental citizenship. The first award will be administered in Spring 2024.
The Farnum Group 