Doctoral Student Dies from Injuries in Explosion

Saamer Akhshabi, a Georgia Tech doctoral student in computer science who was seriously injured Feb. 4 in his Midtown apartment, died March 6 at Grady Hospital.

Akhshabi, a 26-year-old student in the School of Computer Science’s networking research group, studied under Associate Professor Constantine Dovrolis. A native of Iran, he graduated in 2009 from the University of Tehran with a B.S. in computer engineering.

He was injured in an explosion inside his apartment and suffered third-degree burns over most of his body.

“Georgia Tech's College of Computing is grieving the loss of Saamer Akhshabi,” said College of Computing Dean Zvi Galil. “Saamer’s initial prognosis was very bad, but he fought for more than a month. Our faculty and students visited him regularly, often staying for hours at a time. This was an excellent, promising student, and all of us in the College deeply mourn him.”

"On behalf of the entire Georgia Tech community we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Saamer Akhshabi,” said President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “Over the past month, faculty, staff and students have expressed their concern in numerous ways, and we mourn the loss of a member of the Georgia Tech family.”

The College has announced it will lead a fund raising effort to enable Akhshabi’s parents to return Saamer to his home to Iran. For more information or to donate to this effort, email hamid.garmestani@mse.gatech.edu.