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Humboldt Professor Sayan Mukherjee, an expert in artificial intelligence, has died. He passed away unexpectedly in Leipzig on Monday (31 March 2025) at the age of 54. The news has been received with dismay and deep sadness at Leipzig University and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences.
“I am deeply saddened. Sayan Mukherjee’s death is a great loss, both personally and for the research community,” says Professor Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University. “He leaves an immense void. He will be sorely missed at our Institute of Computer Science, our Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, and the national competence centre for artificial intelligence ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig.” With his outstanding expertise, the mathematician, statistician and computer scientist wanted to open up new avenues in precision medicine by analysing biological data. Rector Obergfell adds that Leipzig was the perfect location for him. “My heartfelt condolences go out to all of Mukherjee’s family members and colleagues.”
Professor László Székelyhidi, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, says: “Sayan was a comet – sparkling with ideas, full of energy and with a fascinating ability to captivate those around him. He achieved exceptional things in his short time in Leipzig. He made a significant and systematic contribution to promoting the closer integration of research at the Institute of Computer Science and the ScaDS.AI artificial intelligence research centre at Leipzig University with the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. He significantly enhanced the research profile of our institute as a Max Planck Fellow. His work transcended institutions: he saw Leipzig as a whole and was instrumental in making the city a world-leading centre for AI research and its mathematical foundations. We mourn the loss of a unique researcher, a close and extraordinarily helpful colleague and a dear friend.”
More tributes:
Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow:
“I was deeply saddened by the unexpected news of Professor Mukherjee’s death. An outstanding scientist, he was highly respected and in demand worldwide. His loss is immense, not only for the Max Planck Institute and Leipzig University, but for the entire scientific community in Saxony. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Professor Erhard Rahm, Director of ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig:
“The tragic loss of Sayan has deeply shocked us at the national AI centre ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig and me personally. In the almost three years he was with us, Professor Mukherjee consistently pursued his goal of making ScaDS.AI, together with its partners such as MPI-MIS, a leading international centre for the mathematical foundations of AI. He initiated so many new partnerships and research projects and built a strong research team. The full impact of his painful loss remains to be seen, but we will do all we can to continue working on his vision.”
Professor Bernd Kirchheim, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science:
“Sayan was an extremely dynamic and, despite his outstanding international reputation, always approachable and very helpful colleague, who, immediately after his arrival, significantly strengthened Leipzig’s research profile in computer science and brought impressive new aspects to the AI research centre ScaDS.AI. I particularly appreciated the fact that he also had a keen interest in mathematics and enthusiastically supported the Faculty in obtaining a second Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, in the field of discrete mathematics. He will be sorely missed as a researcher, colleague and friend, but that is precisely why we will work with our new Alexander von Humboldt Professor, Daniel Král, to implement his vision of bringing together mathematics, computer science and their practical applications in the Leipzig research landscape in a way that will attract international attention.”
Humboldt Professor Jens Meiler, Director of the Institute for Drug Discovery at Leipzig University (he nominated his colleague and friend Sayan Mukherjee for the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship):
“I recall the many conversations we had, linking fundamental developments in AI research with socio-political and philosophical issues. A brilliant mind coupled with a great sense of humour.”
About Sayan Mukherjee:
Professor Sayan Mukherjee, born in India, completed his academic education in the US. In 2001, he received his PhD from MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and initially remained there and at the nearby Broad Institute on a Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship. From 2004 to 2022, he was at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, where he was promoted to Full Professor in 2015. In 2008, he received a Young Researcher Award from the International Indian Statistical Association, and in 2018, he became a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. In 2022, he joined Leipzig University as a Humboldt Professor and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences as a Fellow. Mukherjee was a member of various international professional societies.
The Humboldt Professorship has an excellent international reputation and is Germany’s most valuable award for foreign researchers. It is awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation on the basis of a highly competitive process. Mukherjee, who was working at Duke University in the US at the time, was nominated by Leipzig University and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences.
https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/university/book-of-condolences-for-sayan-mukherjee Digital book of condolences
https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/newsdetail/artikel/making-effective-use-of-artific... Interview with Sayan Mukherjee (May 2022)
Presentation by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Humboldt Professor Sayan Mukherjee passed away on Monday (31 March 2025) .at the age of 54.
Kirsten Nijhof
Leipzig University
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Humboldt Professor Sayan Mukherjee passed away on Monday (31 March 2025) .at the age of 54.
Kirsten Nijhof
Leipzig University
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