Dr. Sediqeh Samadi, a respected engineer, devoted mentor, and compassionate soul, tragically lost her life on Friday, May 3, 2024, in a heartbreaking car accident in Winnetka, Illinois. She was 37.
The crash occurred near Church Road and Meadow Road around 6 p.m., where Sediqeh and another woman were walking with a child in a stroller. Both women were fatally struck by a vehicle. The child was critically injured and rushed to a nearby hospital. Officials confirmed Sediqeh’s identity the following day.
Dr. Samadi was a Senior Design/Product Development Engineer at Abbott in Alameda County, California. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2019, where she conducted groundbreaking research in diabetes management and biomedical modeling. Her academic work included developing multivariable simulation platforms for type 1 diabetes and working on artificial pancreas systems—efforts that earned her over 900 citations in scientific publications.
Her career was marked by a steadfast dedication to innovation, precision, and humanity. Before joining Abbott, she worked at Procter & Gamble as a Modeling and Simulation Scientist, applying her analytical talents to real-world challenges. At Illinois Tech, she was a revered mentor and teaching assistant, guiding students through complex subjects like process control, biomedical simulation, and computational tools like MATLAB and Simulink.
Originally from Iran, Sediqeh studied at some of the country’s most prestigious universities—earning degrees from the University of Tehran and Sharif University of Technology—before continuing her journey in the United States. Her academic path was marked by excellence, and her professional work reflected deep commitment to improving lives through science and technology.
But beyond her titles and achievements, Sediqeh will be remembered as a kind, generous, and thoughtful person—a friend and colleague who always made time to help others and who radiated quiet strength and compassion.
Her loss is not only a devastating blow to her loved ones, friends, and colleagues around the world, but also to the scientific and engineering communities to which she contributed so profoundly.
Dr. Sediqeh Samadi’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched, the students she mentored, and the vital work she pioneered in the field of biomedical engineering.
She is deeply mourned and will be forever remembered.