Zelong (Bruce) Ding

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Zelong (Bruce) Ding , a dedicated PhD. candidate at Purdue University, who bravely battled leukemia. Bruce's contributions to the scientific community were remarkable, as he conducted pivotal research on OLED failure mechanisms and conducted groundbreaking research in the field of near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT). He developed the world’s first metasurfaces designed for NFRHT. Additionally, he conducted studies into the engineering of transparent conducting oxides as possible materials for maximizing NFRHT. Beyond this he also played a vital role in advancing the study of refractory plasmonic materials.

Besides his remarkable academic and scientific achievements, Bruce was an extraordinary individual and a cherished friend. He inspired us, through the incredible drive, courage, humility, resilience, and strength he displayed throughout his illness. Even more inspiring was his gentle, kind spirit and sense of love and compassion he had for all around him. Anyone who spent time around Bruce felt the need to strive to be a kinder and more loving person. Even in the face of the extreme trials of his illness, Bruce showed us how to be strong and set an excellent example of how to be a friend. We all owe it to him to put more love and compassion into the world. He was someone that you could talk to about anything and reach out to with a moment’s notice and feel welcomed. The interesting conversations and joy he brought to many of us will also be missed. Despite his difficult illness and prognosis, he kept on fighting through it to be the best he could be as a researcher, wonderful colleague, friend, son, and fiancée. We are proud to call him one of our own, will miss him deeply, and will forever treasure our memories together.

Bruce’s funeral will be livestreamed this upcoming Thursday 9:30am CST (10:30 am EST) at the following link: https://www.winfordfunerals.com/memorials/zelong-ding/5283966/ please consider joining as we remember Bruce’s remarkable life.

Finally, we as a community have a small opportunity to help Bruce’s family through this incredibly hard time with our donations. Any donation big or small will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Sasha Boltasseva and Vlad Shalaev

And the entire ECE/Birck Nanophotonics team