Zhaochun Xu, a 31-year-old graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, died early Monday morning as a result of injuries suffered a car accident late Sunday night.
Friends described Xu, a Chinese citizen, as a sweet and cheerful person whose presence will be deeply missed.
"The Pratt community is saddened by the death of Zhaochun Xu," Kristina Johnson, dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, said in a statement. "It is a particular tragedy when someone so young with so much potential passes away."
A car crashed into the vehicle Xu and his wife, Yuan Liu, were driving on Highway 15-501 at 10:05 p.m. Sunday, causing it to run off the right side of the road, said Officer L. L. O'Brien of the Durham Police Department. The car then hit a tree, another DPD spokesperson said.
The driver of the other vehicle jumped from his car and fled the scene. DPD Lt. Norman Blake said Wednesday that he had not yet been located.
Police are following leads about the cause of the accident and declined to say whether alcohol was involved. O'Brien said more details will likely be available by the end of the week.
Liu sustained minor injuries and was released from Duke University Hospital earlier this week. Duke's International Office and the Chinese embassy are working together to help Xu's parents secure passports and visas in Beijing, which they need in order to enter the United States.
Colleagues who worked with Xu at the Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems described him as a soft-spoken but diligent worker.
"He was one of those people who doesn't say very much and is very quiet, but his mind ran very, very quickly, so when he told you something it was usually right," said David Brady, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Fitzpatrick Center.
A close-knit group of Chinese students within the Center will particularly miss Xu, and the Duke Chinese Students and Scholars Association is organizing financial and emotional support for his wife.
Co-workers said they often teased Xu about his shyness, encouraging him to speak louder.
Xu earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1996. He began his doctoral work at Purdue University and was expected to earn his Ph.D. from Duke in May 2005.
He hoped to become a professor at a world-class university and spent many hours in the laboratory and at the office perfecting his results and discovering elegant solutions.
Xu's research included developing a biomedical sensor that would measure alcohol, glucose and other substances in the human body using lasers. Brady said the group will continue to pursue some of Xu's research but will ultimately yield different conclusions than Xu might have reached.
"Who can say how it will be different without him?" Brady said. "Out of a million people, there's maybe one of them who can do this."
A memorial service for Xu is still being arranged, but donations for his family may be sent through DCSSA treasurer Fang Liu at fl8@ee.duke.edu and condolences may be expressed online at http://www.duke.edu/web/cssa/xu.htm.
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