Saurarshi “Rishi” J. Sanyal,46, passed away in his Mountain View, CA residence on June 26, 2026. Rishi was a brilliant and beautiful human being. A rare combination of an artist and a scientist, Rishi brought passion and perfection to everything that he chose to do. Rishi earned a B.A. degree from Princeton University majoring in Molecular Biology; M.A. in Biology from Brown University and Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Washington. For his professional career, Rishi pursued his first love - bridging the art and science of digital photography. Many of his photographs stand out as exquisite expressions of beauty in nature and people. He was also an award-winning cinematographer for two short films. Rishi’s artistic talent manifested in music and dance as well. He loved Indian and Western classical music and played the piano beautifully. He was a performing dancer in the Princeton University diSiac dance company and co-founded the Brown University imPulse dance company.

As Science Editor of Digital Photography Review, Rishi wrote some of the most influential articles in the digital imaging industry. His work was highly regarded because he bridged the gap between complex engineering concepts and their practical impact on real-world photography. His writing taught a generation of photographers how to objectively evaluate their gear. Rishi recognized early on that smartphone cameras would bypass small sensor limitations and was involved in further development of phone cameras in recent years. Rishi’s work on digital camera technology was cited in a 2023 Physics textbook : Light and Waves: A Conceptual Exploration of Physics.

Above all, as noted by a colleague, “his luminous, beaming warmth, genuine interest in people, and unflagging passion for the art of photography touched everyone who came into contact with him”.

Rishi is survived by his parents, a sister, two daughters and their mother.

He lives in his children, whom he loved dearly. Rishi will forever stay alive through the contributions he made to this world and remain cherished in the hearts of all of us whose lives he touched.

Funeral services for Rishi have been held.