Mridul Khan is remembered by peers and professors for his passionate love of technology, selfless want to help others and engagement in meaningful conversations across a broad range of topics.
Khan, a graduate student in the computer science department, died in a skydiving accident on Aug. 30 in Davis, California. He had been in the Bay Area for the summer to complete an internship with Neon, an image software firm.
Khan has been a student at the College since 2013. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2011 from North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Khan worked in the Digital Arts, Leadership and Innovation Lab during his time at the College, computer science professor and DALI Lab director Lorie Loebsaid.
“He worked quietly and tirelessly on the work that was at hand, and he would present the work several times during the term,” she said. “He was really good about explaining what he was working on and passionate about the work that he was doing and trying to help people.”
Khan was a lead developer for a DALI Lab project suggested by psychiatry professor William Hudenko that focused on creating internet resources for people with mental illnesses or who were under emotional stress and their families. The project is now being developed into a startup, Loeb said.
“Mridul just had a way — something about his quiet reserve and his passion for his work and his tremendous skill in computer science just drew people to him, and we were drawn to him at the DALI Lab,” she said.
Khan had worked this past summer at the image software firm Neon, and they were planning to make him a job offer once he had finished his degree, Loeb said. The company has worked hard to support his family and friends after his death. Several Neon staff members will fly from their Bay Area offices to the East Coast for a memorial service for Khan, she said.
Khan’s warm smile and engaging conversations are fondly remembered by Lixing Lian, a computer science Ph.D. student who shared an office with Khan and worked with the same advisor, and Sagar Kale, a computer science Ph.D student who lived near Khan and would sometimes give him rides to campus.
Lian described Khan as always having a “smile on his face.” Kale also said that he was “always smiling” and added that he “seemed to have a positive energy” and was a “really, really nice guy.”
Khan’s peers remember having personal conversations with him on a wide variety of topics. Lian said that they shared some interesting news, apps and videos with each other each week. Kale, from India, bonded with Khan over discussions about Khan’s home country of Bangladesh.
Both Lian and Kale also mentioned Khan’s interest in exploring new things, whether it be woodworking or those on the forefront of technology innovation.
Kale said that they would always talk about new technology and described Khan as “futuristic.”
Lian also expressed sentiments about the day that Khan moved out of their office. He said he remembered how excited Khan was to get his internship offer, and that he imagined Khan was looking forward to his summer in California.
“I told him that I will miss him and [that] I did hope we can sit and work together one day,” Lian said. “When I finished my internship, I thought we would share our stories over the summer to each other.”
Both Kale and Lian expressed shock and sadness about the news of Khan’s passing.
“May his soul rest in peace. No longer in our life to share, but in our hearts, he is always there,” Lian said.
College President Phil Hanlon announced Khan’s death in a campus-wide email the Tuesday after his death.
Members of Khan’s family and Neon representatives, where Kahn worked this past summer, could not be reached by press time.