Obituary of Neil Shafer-Ray (1963-2012)

NEIL EVAN SHAFER-RAY, Professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma, passed away on December 26, 2012 at the age of 49. Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in July 2011, Neil waged a courageous and spirited battle, continuing to advance his research and advise his graduate students as he fought this disease.

Neil was born in Boston, graduated from MIT in 1986 and received his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1990 under Professor Richard Bersohn. He held postdoctoral positions at Hokkaido University in Japan (1990-1991) and at Stanford University (1991-1995) in Richard Zare’s group. He joined the OU faculty in 1995 as a member of the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics group. Neil’s principal areas of research, which he pursued with passion and creativity, included molecular beam studies, reaction dynamics, cold molecules, and most recently, searching for the dipole moment of the electron.

Neil’s death is a great loss for the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, the University of Oklahoma and the wider scientific community. He was an exceptional human being, the epitome of a dedicated, creative scientist and a superb advisor for his students. He will long be remembered for his zest for physics and for his generosity of spirit which influenced all his interactions both professional and personal.

Neil is survived by his wife, Kerry Shafer-Ray, his two sons Reed and Cole, his parents, Jules and Marcia Shafer of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania; his brother Howard Shafer and wife Kate of West Hartford, Connecticut; and his sister, Toby Petti and husband Michael of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.