Prominent Iranian-American Scientist Passes Away; Firouz Naderi Dies at 77

Sources close to Dr. Firouz Naderi's family, including his niece, announced on Facebook and Instagram on Friday, June 9, that the prominent NASA scientist passed away in a hospital in the United States. Professor Firouz Naderi, former director of solar system exploration at NASA and a notable Iranian figure, had reported his hospitalization due to an injury on his Facebook page last week. Dr. Naderi explained that he had suffered a sudden drop in heart rate and fainting, which caused him to fall and hit his head against a wall, resulting in nerve damage to his neck and partial paralysis. He mentioned that he underwent neck surgery on May 21 and was expected to have a recovery period of 4 to 5 months. Dr. Naderi was born on March 25, 1946, in Shiraz. He completed his secondary education in Iran before immigrating to the United States, where he pursued his university education in electrical engineering. He completed his undergraduate studies at Iowa State University and earned his master's and doctorate degrees in 1972 and 1976, respectively, from the University of Southern California. After finishing his studies, he returned to Iran and worked for a while at the Iranian Remote Sensing Center after completing his military service. In the later years of his life, Naderi became politically active, using social media and participating in gatherings of Iranians in the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement to amplify the voices of Iranians to the world.