On Tuesday, January 2nd, A. Richard Newton died at age 55. He was a professor and the dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. The NewsCenter calls Newton “a pioneer in electronic design automation and integrated circuit design, and a visionary leader in the technology industry.” Newton had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a little less than two months before he died.

In an email, Chancellor Birgeneau remembers Newton:

A true visionary, Rich was an extraordinarily dynamic, entrepreneurial, and effective dean and campus leader. His contributions to Engineering and to academia as a whole extended beyond the campus to the benefit of California, the nation, and international society. Rich was also a wonderful father and friend whose incomparable energy and kindness seemed to know no bounds. He will be greatly missed.

Newton’s professional biography is here, on the College of Engineering’s website.