SFU mourns the loss of Ryan Shea

December 12, 2019
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Obituary: Ryan Shea, July 1, 1986 – December 5, 2019

SFU computing science professor Ryan Shea passed away on Thursday, December 5 after a remarkably brave battle with cancer. Shea was 33 years old.

Born in St. Albert, Alberta and growing up in Brackendale, BC, Shea began a lifelong love of the outdoors. Also drawn to electronics at a young age, he built his first computer at the age of 8.

Shea will be remembered as an integral part of the School of Computing Science, both as a student and as a faculty member. He began his bachelor’s degree at SFU in fall 2005, where he met his wife Jane. He received his BSc degree in 2010 and PhD degree in 2016.

Shea was a recipient of an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship for his PhD study at SFU, one of the highest graduate scholarships from NSERC. He also received the Best Student Paper Award for the 20th IEEE/ACM Workshop on Quality of Service in 2012.

In 2018, Shea was appointed assistant professor in the School of Computing Science, and published widely in the areas of cloud gaming, and computer and network virtualization. Shea brought his passion for computer science to the classroom, where his enthusiasm spread to his students.

Shea was an excellent young researcher, an engaging and smart teacher, and a wonderful team player. He will be greatly missed.

A Celebration of Life event will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2019 in Squamish, BC at Quest University in the Library Building, at 11:00 a.m. Everyone impacted by Shea's bright life is welcome to attend. Remembrances may be shared through this page. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Shea's memory to the BC Cancer Foundation.