BUET Faculty Afeefa Rahman Neerma Passes Away While Pursuing PhD in USA

Afeefa Rahman Naima, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Water Resources Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), has passed away while pursuing her doctoral studies in the United States. She was a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

The news of her untimely death was confirmed on Friday afternoon (US time) by her colleagues and the Bangladeshi student community in Urbana. Afeefa had been a prominent young researcher specializing in freshwater security and sustainable water vapor capture.

According to close family friends and social media tributes from her peers, Afeefa had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following severe medical complications during the birth of her second child. Despite receiving emergency care, she passed away after several days in critical condition.

Her husband, Md. Ifthekhar Islam Sakib, also an Assistant Professor at BUET currently pursuing his PhD at UIUC, and their two young children—the eldest of whom is only 18 months old—are now left to navigate this immense loss.

Afeefa was widely respected as a rising star in her field. At UIUC, she worked under the supervision of Professor Praveen Kumar, focusing on innovative methods to harvest untapped water vapor from above the oceans to address global water scarcity. Her research had been published in prestigious journals and featured by international science news outlets.

Colleagues at BUET and fellow researchers at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) described her as a "brilliant talent" and a "soft-hearted person" who balanced the rigors of high-level academic research with deep dedication to her family.

"She was a very close neighbor and friend to many of us here in Urbana. We have spent the last four years together, and the news of her passing is heartbreaking. She leaves behind two innocent children who lost their mother before they could even know her." — Shibbir Ahmed, fellow PhD student at UIUC.

The news has triggered a wave of grief across BUET's campus and the Bangladeshi academic diaspora. Afeefa’s contribution to the study of hydro-morphodynamics and her passion for solving water challenges in her home country were hallmarks of her professional journey.

Academic departments at BUET and the UIUC community have extended their deepest condolences to her family. Janaza and burial arrangements in the United States are currently being coordinated by the local Bangladeshi community.