Prof. Syed M. Tariq Rizvi, a long-time member of our department, passed away on December 24, 2023. Rizvi’s mathematical journey included time at McMaster University in Canada where he completed his Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor Bruno Mueller in 1981. After a time at the University of Waterloo, Rizvi joined The Ohio State University at the Lima campus in 1982, where he would go on to spend over 40 years as a researcher and an educator. Rizvi’s student Cosmin Roman notes that “Over the last 40 or so years, it was a good time to be a ring theorist in Ohio, and Professor Rizvi was a major reason for that.”
In his mathematical life, Rizvi made significant contributions to our understanding of rings, modules, and their extensions. His dissertation “Contributions to the Theory of Continuous Modules” (1980) provided a broader understanding and generalization of injective and quasi-injective modules, pivotal in module theory. When it came to generalization, Rizvi advised colleagues to stay anchored in a reasonable context; in a subject like ring theory, it’s easy to be tempted to “generalize for the sake of generalizing.” But Cosmin Roman notes that Rizvi “always defined and used such natural and clearly defined concepts, and most of the time they were just the right level of generalization, to see what exact property would make something tick.” His penchant for picking the right definitions is visible throughout his scholarly work, including Extensions of Rings and Modules, a book he co-authored with Birkenmeier and Park.
Regarding this book, Cosmin Roman recalls just how intense the mathematical activity was among Rizvi and his collaborators. “It was amazing to see the level of communication between these three mathematicians: if one had an idea, it was immediately emailed or even phoned in (which could be at the oddest hours) and with a reply coming within the hour! They were always planning when and how to get back together face-to-face to work on the book.” Their hard work paid off.
Beyond his academic achievements, Rizvi was known for his warmth and thoughtfulness towards others, often accommodating visitors from distant time zones at late hours. Rizvi himself traveled extensively for both professional and personal reasons, contributing significantly to international collaborations and conferences. His dedication to research, teaching, and collaboration has left a lasting impact on the field of ring theory and those who had the pleasure of working with him.
As we remember Prof. Rizvi, we are reminded of the strong community of ring theorists he helped to build in Ohio and his significant contributions to the mathematics department at The Ohio State University. We extend our condolences to his wife, two sons, his daughter-in-law, and his extended family.
Article contributed by Professor Jim Fowler and information contributed by Cosmin Roman
