Professor Shur was Patricia and Sheldon Roberts Professor of Solid State Electronics in ECSE, Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, and, following his retirement from the faculty, a Senior Research Scientist in ECSE. He was one of the most distinguished scholars in Rensselaer’s history. An internationally recognized researcher, educator, inventor, entrepreneur, and mentor, he made seminal contributions to semiconductor devices, electronics, optoelectronics, and related fields over a career spanning several decades.
Michael’s accomplishments were extraordinary. He was a Life Fellow of IEEE, APS, ECS, and SPIE; a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, OSA, IET, MRS, and other professional societies; an ISI Highly Cited Researcher; and a recipient of numerous national and international honors recognizing his contributions to research, innovation, education, and technology commercialization. He authored more than 1,000 technical publications, held over 375 patents, and founded or co-founded several successful technology companies. Through his scholarship, invention, entrepreneurship, teaching, and mentorship, he influenced generations of students, researchers, and entrepreneurs around the world.
Beyond his many achievements, Michael was a valued colleague whose intellectual curiosity, energy, generosity, and commitment to advancing engineering and science enriched our department and institute community. He was deeply dedicated to his students and took great pride in helping launch successful careers in academia, industry, and entrepreneurship. His impact on ECSE, RPI, the many students and researchers he mentored, and the broader engineering profession will long be remembered.
The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering extends our deepest condolences to Mrs. Paulina Shur, their family, Michael’s friends, former students, and colleagues around the world.
ECSE faculty and staff honor Michael’s remarkable life, career, and legacy.
"While the world will rightly remember Michael as one of the great pioneers and thought leaders of our field, I will remember him as an extraordinary colleague. Whenever there was news of a grant, an award, or another professional milestone, Michael would reach out with a personal note of congratulations. Those gestures may have seemed small, but they reflected a genuine generosity of spirit and an investment in the success of others. His intellectual legacy is immense, but so too is the example he set through his kindness, encouragement, and collegiality. He will be deeply missed." - ECSE Department Head Prof. Hussein Abouzeid
“Michael was very courteous and respectful in all my conversations with him (despite being many years my senior). He clearly was a stellar academic, a leader in his field, and brought the department and RPI a lot of visibility. This is a sad loss for all of RPI.” – Prof. Koushik Kar
“Very sad to hear of Michael’s passing. He was a world-renowned physicist in the field of microelectronics (high speed transistors, wide band gap devices and THz detectors etc). Even a few years ago, a friend of mine from a semiconductor company reached out to me and asked about Michael - they were interested in engaging Michael in semiconductor device modeling. This is a great loss for RPI and ECSE.” – Prof. Rena Huang
“Michael was such a gentleman. From multiple friends, I had heard that Michael was "the father of terahertz". He'll be dearly missed.” – Associate Dean Ali Tajer
“Prof. Michael Shur was a very important researcher in the field. His contributions had a major impact on wide bandgap semiconductor research. About a month ago, we were still exchanging emails about wide bandgap topics, so this feels especially sudden and heartbreaking.
My deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and students.” – Prof. Wenwen Zhao
“He is a real gentleman very respectful of his colleagues, and of course a giant in his field. He will be greatly missed.” – Prof. Ishwara Bhat
“In every respect, the epitome of the expression ‘a gentleman and a scholar.’” – Prof. Bob Karlicek
“A well accomplished great researcher and a gentleman!” – Prof. Paul Chow
“The scientific community, along with the semiconductor industry, has suffered a tremendous loss with the departure of a true pioneer, esteemed physicist, dedicated educator, and innovative force in solid-state electronics, semiconductor devices, and theoretical/modeling advancements. Personally, I have lost a remarkable mentor, esteemed colleague, cherished friend, and profound source of inspiration.” – Prof. James Lu
"It was such a pleasure to work with Michael, he always had a smile on his face and made a point to stop by and ask how you were doing. He was an incredibly gracious man, generous with sharing both his time and expertise with students. He will be missed." - Dr. Rama Hamarneh