Editor's Note: This article is reprinted with permission from the American Mathematical Society (http://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/in-memory/in-memory).

Yakubu, professor of mathematics at Howard University, died August 14, 2022, at the age of 64.

A native of Ghana, Yakubu earned his PhD in 1990 from North Carolina State University under the direction of John Erwin Franke.

Yakubu served as Howard's department chair from 2004 to 2014 and held visiting positions at Cornell University, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, and Botswana International University of Science and Technology. He lectured widely in North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe on his research in mathematical applications to the biological sciences.

“Aziz was an excellent friend, colleague and a renowned and highly respected mathematician,” said Abba Gumel, former Foundation Professor of Mathematics, Arizona State University, who served with Yakubu on the AMS Claytor-Gilmer Fellowship Committee. “A principled man of great warmth, collegiality, kindness, integrity, and compassion.”

A member of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), Mathematical Association of America (MAA), National Association of Mathematics (NAM), Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB), and Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), Yakubu was the Chair of the SMB World Outreach Committee from 2007 to 2016 and served on numerous society committees.

“Yakubu was also a devoted mentor, particularly to people of color as he championed greater diversity and inclusion in the field of mathematics,” said Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, MD, MBA, adding that Yakubu directed the PhD dissertations of seven students, all of whom belong to underrepresented groups.