Memorial Tribute to Dr. Fassil Nebebe, professor of statistics at John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Fassil will be deeply missed by colleagues, friends, students, and faculty members in the statistical community of Concordia University and all over Canada. He passed away, unexpectedly, on August 23, 2022, at the age of 72, due to complications from a brain aneurysm.

Fassil earned his BSc (1972) from Haile Selassie I University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and joined Southampton University in Southampton, England for his MSc (1976). Subsequently, he moved to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for his PhD that he completed in 1984. After completing his postdoctoral fellowship at Queen’s (1984–1986) he was hired as an assistant professor (1986–1992) in the Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management at the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University in Montréal. He was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 2004.

His research areas included Bayesian and empirical Bayes methods in small areas, Gibbs sampling, data modelling and statistical computing. He was a distinguished scholar in those areas. He published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and refereed conference proceedings and presentations. He served as the chair of the Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management at John Molson School of Business for two terms during 2008–2014 and as the acting chair during 2007–2008. He was well-liked and respected by his students and faculty members.

Fassil collaborated with me on many research articles and other academic publications as well as on other matters between the departments of Mathematics & Statistics (Faculty of Arts and Science) and Supply Chain & Business Technology Management (John Molson School of Business). He served in many leading roles in the statistical community in Canada (Statistical Society of Ethiopians in North America: founding president 1999–2002; Statistical Society of Montréal: first vice president 2001–2002, president 2002–2003; Statistical Society of Canada: managing editor of the SSC Liaison—the quarterly newsletter magazine of the Statistical Society of Canada 2004–2007).

His leadership skills and wider vision of statistics resulted in his taking positions on many conference committees. I highlight below his participation in successful decennial conferences held at Concordia that bear his profound contribution. He organized a special session on Bayes and empirical Bayes methods at Statistics 1991 Canada, worked as a co-chair of the organizing committee of Statistics 2001 Canada as well as a co-chair of the local organizing/scientific program committees of Statistics 2011 Canada that was held jointly with 5th Decennial Canadian Conference in Applied Statistics, hosted by Department of Mathematics & Statistics and Department of Decision Sciences & MIS, Concordia University. More recently, he worked as an academic program chair of Statistics 2021 Canada held during July 15–18, 2021. He also served as an editor of the conference proceedings of these conferences.

Fassil is remembered for his calm, creative, and positive disposition. He was a mentor for many young academics; the following quote from my colleague Angelo Canty exemplifies this: “I remember him as very supportive of my development as a young assistant professor when I joined McMaster and always enjoyed meeting with him. He will be greatly missed.”

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Ms. Zufan Mehari, his two sons, Brook and Aklil Nebebe, granddaughter Naseeleah, his sister Achamyelesh and many nieces and nephews. He will be deeply missed by his family, in-laws, and friends.