Sufian Husseini, retired professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, died Dec. 30, 2017, at the age of 88.
Husseini graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in 1953 and a master’s degree in 1954. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton in 1960. He was an instructor at MIT before joining the University of Wisconsin, where he remained until retiring in 2001.
Husseini worked primarily in algebraic topology on topics such as loop spaces and configuration spaces. In a long-term collaboration with a UW-Madison colleague, he wrote a number of influential papers exploring applications of algebraic topology to diverse topics in analysis, manifold theory, economics, and mathematical physics. A joint monograph, published in 2001 by Springer, is highly regarded.
According to a statement from the University’s Madison Department of Mathematics, Husseini “was a source of knowledge and inspiration for students and faculty alike.”
Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.