The University of Cambridge has paid tribute to Negar Miralaei, who passed away earlier this week, describing her as “a dedicated and determined researcher, who brought passion and drive to her work in a challenging area of research.”

In their statement, the University added that: “She was a cherished colleague, whose warmth, generosity and kindness won her many friends both in Cambridge and beyond, and she will be greatly missed.

“Our thoughts are with her friends and family at this sad time.”

Miralaei's PhD supervisor, Dr Timothy Jones, said that during her time in Cambridge she had grown into a “confident and popular researcher who was deeply committed to, and passionate about, her work.”

He added: “Negar loved to travel, and seized the opportunities she was given to attend conferences and workshops across Europe and the United States...She would always come back full of excitement about her trips and tell me all the amazing things she had seen.

“She persevered with her research, which was in a difficult area, and her ability to always push through in the face of adversity saw her through.

“Negar had many friends, and was well liked by everyone she worked with. She was a generous, kind person and friendly to everyone she met. Within the Computer Lab we will all miss her optimism and warm smile. There's a huge hole now where she used to be.”

Miralaei, a fourth year PhD Computer Science student at Emmanuel College, is believed to have died as a result of an accident while in Iran. She was 30 years old. 

In a tribute to her death, Emmanuel College's flag was flown at half-mast on Friday. Affected Emmanuel students are recommended to see the college’s counsellor, Anne Hughes, whose CRSid is ah300.