Dear Colleagues,

It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that our colleague and friend, Dr. Paul Gader, passed away on Tuesday night surrounded by his loved ones.

Paul received his master’s and doctorate in mathematics from the University of Florida in 1983 and 1986, respectively. He served as a faculty member at UF since 2001, beginning as an associate professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) and later, in 2003, becoming a full professor. Paul served as chair of CISE from 2012 to 2015 and joined ESSIE as an affiliate professor in 2016.

Paul was an internationally recognized expert in machine learning and algorithm development, initially working on land-mine detection and handwriting analysis and later expanding this work to study hyperspectral image analysis and a broad range of environmental issues. He published more than 300 total papers, served as an associate editor of IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Letters, enjoyed a three-year term as a UF Research Foundation Professor, and was elected a Fellow of the IEEE.

These accolades tell only part of the story about why Paul was such an important influence on his students and colleagues, as well as the college. He was brilliant but humble, always willing to step up and help irrespective of the complexity of the situation or current demands on his time. Anyone who knew him will tell you that Paul was truly one of the best of us.

Paul, you will be greatly missed. We offer our condolences to his loved ones and to those of you who were close with him.

The burial service will take place at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery on Friday, June 16, at 10 AM. Paul’s family asked us to share that:

• There will be no seats for most attendees (it is a conservation site).
• The grave site is far from the parking lot, so people need to arrive very early.
• The terrain can be rugged, so sturdy shoes are recommended.
• Informal clothing is acceptable and recommended.

With warm regards,
Forrest

Forrest J. Masters, Ph.D., P.E. (FL)
Interim Dean, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
University of Florida