“From the very beginning, I realized that the mission of the university, beyond education and producing graduates for generations, is scientific research and service to society. Teaching is okay, but the main mission is scientific research.”
-Dr. Tayeh
Dr. Sufyan Abdurrahman Osman Tayeh is a world-renowned Palestinian physics professor who was the rector of the Islamic University of Gaza from August 2023 until he was killed by the Israeli army in Israel's brutal war against Gaza. Dr. Tayeh has made significant contributions to the fields of theoretical physics and applied mathematics, was among the leading scientists in the field. This article was written by to discuss Dr. Tayeh's scientific and professional adventure, his important achievements, academic studies, the awards he received and the process of his killing by the Israeli army.
Dr. Sufyan Tayeh was born to a refugee family on August 20, 1971, in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. He was from the village of Beit Daras, whose family was forcibly displaced to the Gaza Strip. Dr. Tayeh is married and has two sons and three daughters. Martyr Dr. Tayeh, who grew up in the Jabalia refugee camp, completed his primary education at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) school, and his secondary education in the science department of Al-Faluja Boys' High School in 1988. He graduated from Gaza University, Department of Physics in 1994. Tayeh received a master's degree in theoretical physics from the same University and a doctorate degree in theoretical physics (optoelectronics) from Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 2007.
Dr. Sufyan Tayeh started his academic career in 1994 as an assistant lecturer at the Department of Physics at the Islamic University of Gaza and served in the following positions at the university:
- Head of Physics Department between 2008 and 2011
- Vice Dean for Admissions and Registration between 2011 and 2013
- Vice President of Academic Affairs between 2013 and 2015
- Dean Responsible for Admission and Registration between 2015 and 2019
- Vice President for Academic Affairs between 2019 and 2020
- Visiting Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada in 2021
- Rector of Islamic University since August 2023
Gaza's exceptional son, Dr. Tayeh was one of the leading scientists not only in Palestine, but also in the Islamic World and the world, with his scientific studies in the fields of theoretical physics and applied mathematics. Dr. Sufyan Tayeh has published more than 150 articles in world-renowned scientific journals since 2014 also has published two books in the field of optoelectronics (optronics) in Taylor&Francis and Elsevier, two of the world's most respected science publishers.
Dr. Sufyan Tayeh was a sought-after genius for the scientific circles of India, China, the USA, Canada and many other countries. He has pioneered dozens of groundbreaking scientific studies, especially in the fields of laser distance sensors, very high precision marking, and light and electronic-based precision technologies. In one of his last studies, he worked on a project on "Increasing the Sensitivity of Waveguide for Optical Fiber Plates and Sensors" and with his colleague presented this project to the University of Montreal, Canada. The project included eye-opening details on the development of precision technologies aimed at exploring multilayer waveguide structures for optical biosensing targets. These groundbreaking studies in hundreds of fields, from medicine to communication, from space technologies to quantum computers, and Dr. Tayeh's efforts, which made Gaza and Palestine a center of attraction for the international scientific community, of course disturbed Israel and Dr. Tayeh harassed many times by it.
Dr. Tayeh did not pay any attention to these harassments and in 2021, he responded to the harassment with his success, ranking in the 2% of the most successful researchers in the world, jointly compiled by Elsevier Publishing House, one of the world's most reputable science publishers, and Stanford University. In addition to his administrative and research/teaching duties, Dr. Tayeh has also served as an editor and served on referee committees in the world's leading scientific journals. A short selection from these important journals, Martyr Dr. Tayeh's scientific activity:
American Journal of Optics and Photonics (Scientific Publishing Group)
SCIREA Physics Journal (Scientific Research Association)
Al-Mukhtar Journal of Sciences (Libya)
Advanced Physics Research Reports (American Publishing House)
including previous, dozens of other scientific journals and publications, in addition to these studies Dr. Tayeh has also chaired, been a member of, and contributed to dozens of congresses, scientific meetings, boards and chairs, and since March 28, 2023, he has served as the Chair of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences at UNESCO Gaza Islamic University.
Dr. Tayeh, as he expressed in his words in the title, was a real scientist. He valued science and scientific research far beyond the outputs and results of science, and devoted his life to science. With this belief, he chaired and contributed to the preparation committees of international scientific congresses and conferences held in various parts of the world, especially in Palestine. Here are a few of them; The International Conference on Energy & Environmental Protection in Sustainable Development ICEEP III (Palestine Polytechnic University, Hebron, 2013), International Conference on Applied Science & Engineering (UAE, 2016, Malaysia, Turkey), International Conference on Atomic and Molecular Physics (Singapore, 2019), Conference on Optical and Photonic Engineering (Singapore, 2020), International Conference on Applied mathematics, Modeling and Computer Simulation (AMMS 2021, China, 2021) and International Conference on Applied mathematics, Modeling and Computer Simulation (AMMS 2022, China, 2022).
Martyr Dr. Sufyan Tayeh was deemed worthy of many international recognitions and awards for all his brilliant achievements and contributions to science, here are a few of them:
-Abdul Hameed Shoman Young Arab Researcher Award in 2012
-Islamic University Best Research Award in 2017
-Palestinian Islamic Bank Scientific Research Award throughout Palestine in 2019 and 2020
Zionism is a network that surrounds the world. It is very difficult to develop science and technology outside the control of this network. In the current order, being a scientist who serves his people and country is considered an act that comes with a price. Dr. Tayeh was a scientist who could cope with this order; he proved this by using his knowledge, labor and intelligence for his oppressed people under Israel's heavy occupation for many years.
Dr. Tayeh was subjected to harassment during the Israeli occupation for years, his work was prevented, and his family was threatened. In 2005, he was arrested while passing through the Rafah border gate to attend a scientific conference in Pakistan and was detained for two months. He was subjected to torture. In 2014, invaders destroyed his house in a routine attack on Gaza. But Martyr Dr. Tayeh never gave up, did not hold back even for a moment from science, education and research, and as a person of the world, he continued to serve not only Palestine but also all humanity with his scientific studies. Until, on December 2, 2023, Israeli warplanes targeted his home and killed Dr. Tayeh along with his entire family.
The Palestinian Ministries of Higher Education and Scientific Research declared mourning for the Martyr Sufyan Tayeh, drawing attention to his scientific value and important contributions to science. In many universities around the world messages of remembrance and sadness published for him. The brilliant life and scientific research of this valuable scientist was brutally murdered in the bloody hands of the Israeli war machine at the age of 52.
Dr. Sufyan Abdurrahman Osman Tayeh, is a great loss for humanity and the world of science. May God have mercy on him and giving my condolences to the entire scientific community, especially the Palestinian people. May his soul rest in peace, praying that he will be an example for the younger generations.
I would like to thank Intern Dr. Mohammad Al-Hajjar and Journalist-Writer Mustafa Ekici for their contributions.
*Prof. Dr. Orhan Alimoğlu
Istanbul Medeniyet University
