In Memoriam: Ahmad Abu Obaid

Ahmad Abu Obaid, an associate scientist from the University of Delaware's Center for Composite Materials, passed away on March 21, 2024.

Dr. Abu Obaid joined CCM in 2001, and during his more than 20-year career here at UD made a significant impact that advanced both the field of composites research overall as well as the ongoing efforts taking place here at CCM. He was also known by his colleagues as someone who was passionate, collegial, supportive and always willing to go the extra mile.

Dr. Abu Obaid earned his bachelor's degree in physics/mathematics from Yarmouk University, his master's degree in physics from the University of Jordan, and his Ph.D. in materials science from Technical University Berlin. His Ph.D. dissertation was focused on the production and characterization of aramid fibers and polyamide composites.

After earning his doctorate, Dr. Abu Obaid worked as a researcher at Technical University Berlin, then as a postdoctoral fellow at Weizman Institute of Science, before joining CCM as a postdoctoral researcher. He also spent time working at NRI Composites Innovations as a research and development scientist, a technical consultant at Endeavose Innovations, and was an assistant professor at Zarqa University.

Throughout his career, Dr. Abu Obaid dedicated his time to making progress in the fields of polymer science and composites, with a focus on processing, characterizing, and designing materials for applications related to infrastructure, transportation, energy and defense. While he worked on a wide range of projects related to composites at CCM, his expertise and interest in textile science also motivated him to develop new methods for studying the properties of high-performance polymer fibers.

He received a CCM Scholarship Award in 2008 and 2010, recognizing his high-quality publications and productivity, as well as the CCM Director's Award in 2007 for his outstanding research contributions.