RIP Fahiem Bacchus

[Subbarao Kambhampati]

Dear Planning Folks:

 In case you haven't heard, Fahiem Bacchus, who has been an influential presence in the planning community, 

passed away on Thursday (September 22). I understand that he was fighting leukemia for the past year. 

Toronto CS department has put up an article in memoriam, and solicited others' reflections

[Speaking for myself, I  had known Fahiem since at least the ECP 1995 trip to Assisi--I still remember a young Fahiem and his wife walking around the piazzas of Assisi. I had grown to respect his calm and clear eyed intellectual takes on AI topics. I had developed additional new found respect for him when we served together on IJCAI trustees, and I saw that he was unafraid to speak up for his beliefs--however strong the headwinds were in the room. (For a long time he also gave me a curious kind of  representational confidence--he was pretty much the only guy who looked like me in AI and planning; although we shared little specific cultural background). When we came to AAAI 2002 in Edmonton, he told me a little about his childhood in Edmonton. When I talked to him last, I was a little sad that he seemed somewhat dispirited about AI research and was contemplating retiring--as that would have reduced the chance of encounters with him. This.. this is beyond that. I will miss him..]

Rao

[Sylvie Thiebaux]

Hi Rao and all,

This is so sad. I knew Fahiem was ill but I was hoping for the best.

I had known Fahiem for 20 years and I have been greatly influenced by some of his work, in particular his papers on rewarding behaviours (a.k.a non-Markovian rewards) with Craig Boutilier and Adam Grove, and of course his work on TLPlan with Froduald Kabanza. Such great papers!

Less well known than his research, is that Fahiem was a food connoisseur and I recall a number of great food experiences with him. The first was at AIPS-02 in Toulouse where *he* picked up the restaurant (and the wine). The last was at IJCAI-19 in Macao, where I had the pleasure to be sitting next to him at the banquet. A lot of fun! I also recall taking him for a walk to Tidbinbilla near Canberra, and his surprise when my then 10 year old son could tell him some interesting facts about his birth place.

Such a classy and talented person! He'll be sorely missed.

Sylvie

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[Sheila McIlraith]

Dear Friends,

I was delaying writing because Jessica Davies, Fahiem's wife, had asked me to share Fahiem's obituary with his international research community; the obituary honours Fahiem the man, in the many facets of his life, and includes information about a scholarship being established in his memory. It appeared this morning in the Globe and Mail newspaper, here in Toronto -- a national newspaper.  On Friday, September 30, there will be a private interment, followed by a Celebration of Life. The Canadian flag at the University of Toronto will fly at half mast to signal our collective grief at the loss of such a distinguished member of our academic community. All are welcome to attend the Celebration of Life, though it is an in-person event. The Department of Computer Science will also organize a memorial event at a later date. I'll ensure those on this list are apprised well in advance, should you wish to attend.  In the interim, I encourage you to share your memories at the memorial site in Fahiem's honour where there is also now information about donating to the scholarship in his honour, should you wish to do so.

I'll keep my remarks brief, but like Rao and Sylvie, I wanted to share both my profound grief and my admiration for Fahiem. He was a dear friend and valued colleague, and my neighbour in the department. Our offices were side by side. I will miss him greatly.  As I have shared with some of you, know that Fahiem was lucid, reflective, and at peace in his final days -- proud of all that he had accomplished in his personal and professional life. His legacy will live on in our work.

Sheila