Reuben Sandler PhD died peacefully after a short illness in San Francisco, California on September 8, 2024. He was surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his children Ora and David and their families in Israel, daughter Julia and family in Maryland, sister Sybil in Los Angeles, and long-term companion Emily, along with ten grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews.

Reuben was born and grew up in the Los Angeles, California area. He completed his undergraduate study at Reed College, and received a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago at the age of 24. Following school, he authored four books on the subject of mathematics and held professorships at Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois - Chicago, the University of Hawaii, and Technion University of Haifa. At the height of his successful mathematics career he opted to leave academia to live communally on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, where he farmed, participated in the island’s early wine production, and cofounded the island’s credit union. Later he began working as a business consultant in New Zealand and eventually in California. He developed a love of, and expertise in, business, science, and technology which he pursued in numerous board member and executive management positions at R&D companies. In 2006 Reuben became a member of the University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division Visiting Committee where he enjoyed helping to enable scientific research into the nature of the universe, becoming chair in 2012. In 1999 he was a founding member of Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc in Torrance CA, where he served as CEO and Chairman of the Board until shortly before his death.

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