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Sohrab Rabii, engineering professor

Sohrab Rabii, 78, of Philadelphia, professor emeritus of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, died Monday, July 18, of pancreatic cancer at his home in the city's Spring Garden section.

Sohrab Rabii, 78, of Philadelphia, professor emeritus of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, died Monday, July 18, of pancreatic cancer at his home in the city's Spring Garden section.

A gifted teacher and adviser, Dr. Rabii was chair of Penn's department of electrical engineering from 1978 to 1982. In 1985, he received the Lindback Award, the university's premier teaching award.

Dr. Rabii also was a researcher known for his contributions to the condensed matter theory of carbon-based materials - what happens when carbon electrons and nuclei function in a condensed state.

He was a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the American Physical Society, and the author of 160 journal and conference papers.

"We will miss Sohrab's great intellect, gentleness, and honesty, his ever-present smile and good nature, and above all, his dedication to Penn Engineering and his enthusiastic involvement in so many activities in our school," said Vijay Kumar, dean of Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Born in Ahwaz, Iran, Dr. Rabii came to this country in 1958 on a scholarship from the Iranian government to study abroad. He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the University of Southern California, and earned master's and doctoral degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He did advanced study at MIT and worked briefly for the Monsanto Corp. before joining the Penn faculty in 1969 as an assistant professor in what is now the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

He retired in 2006, but remained an integral part of the Penn Engineering community, regularly attending lectures and faculty meetings, Kumar said.

At a party in his honor in the spring, former and current faculty and students gathered to recognize Dr. Rabii and celebrate his distinguished career.

"So many noted his strong encouragement and positive influence on their lives," Kumar said.

Dr. Rabii's interests ranged from Formula One racing to Chinese poetry of the Tang dynasty. He loved to travel and escorted Penn students to Mali and Ghana, where they set up computer and electrical engineering labs.

Dr. Rabii was animated and energetic. He loved spending time with his family at their home in Wayne and later, Spring Garden.

"When his daughters were in elementary and high school, he often volunteered to chaperone their field trips," said his wife, Susan B. Hunt. He also was devoted to his students.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by former wife Patricia B. Rabii; daughters Susan M. Zima and Elizabeth Rabii Cribbs; five grandchildren; three brothers; a sister; and nieces and nephews.

Services were Saturday, July 23.

Donations may be made to Autism Speaks via www.autismspeaks.org/donate, or the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania via www.seas.upenn.edu/giving.

bcook@phillynews.com

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