By Amitava Choudhury
Jyoti P. Guha, 83, (Aug. 2, 1936 – July 30, 2020) passed away on July 30, 2020, in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was born and raised in India. After finishing his undergraduate education in Scottish Church College, Kolkata, India, he went to England for higher education and received his Ph.D. degree from The University of Sheffield. Guha conducted research in Europe (Slovenia and France) and in Africa, after which he moved to the United States in 1980 and joined Argonne National Laboratory as a senior researcher. His continued pursuit of knowledge brought him to Missouri as a research professor in the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology).
Guha was a passionate teacher and an ardent researcher who had clear understanding of microstructure and phase equilibria concept of materials science. He published more than 40 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and delivered numerous lectures in conferences and universities throughout the world. He retired from the University of Missouri-Rolla after almost 15 years of teaching and research. He remained as an adjunct faculty and continued his research endeavor through consulting and conducting research in various parts of the world, of which most notable is the Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia.
Guha joined The American Ceramic Society in 1971 and was a member of the Society till his demise. As part of ACerS, he also offered short courses on dielectric ceramics.
“Guha was an inspiring individual and an outstanding scientist who was always interested in learning how new materials form in the interface of two reacting species. His knowledge of microstructure and phase equilibria was unmatchable. He always used to share his fond memories of teaching and research in Rolla. He was working on several unfinished manuscripts where he had shown the beautiful microstructures obtained while working in Jozef Stefan Institute,” recalls close family friends and junior colleagues, Amitava Choudhury and Manashi Nath (Associate professors of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla).
Guha is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Maya Guha; daughters Tania Boyd of Fort Wayne, Ind. and Sharmistha John of Kansas City, Mo.; and his six grandchildren Ryan, Alex, Eric, Neil, Matthew, and Brianna.