College of Engineering professor and Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chairman Francesco Cerrina, 62, was found dead in a laboratory on the fifth floor of the Photonics Center Monday morning, Boston University spokesman Colin Riley said.
A BU staff member found the body and alerted another faculty member, who then called authorities at about 9:30 a.m., Riley said.
The death is under investigation by the Boston University Police Department and a medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death, BUPD Deputy Director of Public Safety Scott Pare said.
Students arrived at the laboratory this morning to a research area that was bordered off with police tape and a hallway filled with police and EMTs.
Faculty members guided students into a separate room and informed them of the death.
The Boston Police Department arrived at the scene, but after investigation have declined to take the case on themselves.
BPD Sergeant William Ridge said that BPD would only take on the case if there were a chance that it was homicide.
“They don’t think there is any foul play,” Ridge said, adding police were not sure about the cause of death.
“[This] leaves it up to accident or suicide,” Ridge said.
Cerrina arrived at ENGin August 2008 as the new electrical and computer engineering department chairman, according to a BUpress release at the time. He had previously been a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wayne Rennie, director of the electrical and computer engineering department, said Cerrina brought a freshness and vitality and created a welcome camaraderie among all the faculty and staff.
He was an extremely generous person and very talented, obviously, in his research, Rennie said, describing Cerrina as an excellent leader.
Ashwin Gopinath, who recently got his doctorate degree from ENG, said he worked closely with Cerrina until he graduated two months ago.
He was too nice of a person, Gopinath said. When you are doing your Ph.D and you don’t see the end in sight, he really helps you frame your work.
