Honoring Dr. Irfan Ahmad

Honoring Dr. Irfan Ahmad

By Victoria Birk Hill May 9, 2024

Dr. Irfan Ahmad – UIUC Site Co-Director

CHAMPAIGN – Dr. Irfan Ahmad, long-time UIUC Professor, CARD Co-Director, community member, and healthcare advocate died unexpectedly of respiratory complications Wednesday night at age 66. Dr. Ahmad was an active member of the Central Illinois community. He is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter, and two grandsons. Irfan came to the United States from Pakistan as a student in 1989.

Staying at UIUC, Dr. Ahmad held several key positions during his career. He was the executive director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology for many years. In 2017, he became the Executive Director of Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Grainger Engineering and was appointed Assistant Dean for Research and Research Professor of Biomedical and Translational Sciences in 2019.

Dr. Ahmad collaborated on many UIUC NSF programs. He worked on the first NSF IGERT training grant on Cellular and Molecular Mechanics and Nanotechnology, a training grant in Cancer Nanotechnology, the NSF IUCRC on Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, the NSF IUCRC Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD), and many others.

Dr. Ahmad was very committed to the Central Illinois community. In 2009, he was the lead founder of Avicenna, a free clinic in Champaign for underinsured and uninsured people. He was an instructor at his core and loved working with students at the intersection of science and learning.

He will be sorely missed by all who knew and worked with him.