Fakhri S. Zahedy, 35, of Denton, an assistant professor with the Department of Physics since January 2024, died in November 2025.

He was an observational astrophysicist focused on galaxy formation and evolution — particularly how the gas reservoir of a galaxy determines the course of its evolution. He used instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Magellan Telescopes in Chile in his research, which resulted in more than 50 publications and included work funded by NASA.

He also was a visiting scientist at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California, where he had previously served as a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics with concentrations in astronomy and music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a master’s and Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago.

Fakhri was known as a rising star in his field, and he’ll also be remembered as an excellent teacher and a kind and dedicated mentor.