Harvard Sophomore Sandip Nirmel Dies After ‘Extended Illness’

Sandip Nirmel ’21, a Dunster House resident whom classmates remember as a beloved friend and brilliant student, died Thursday after “an extended illness,” Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana wrote in an email to students Friday morning.

Nirmel was a Computer Science concentrator with a focus in Mind, Brain, and Behavior. Outside of classes, he served as a case team leader for the Harvard College Consulting Group and as the Vice Chair for the Harvard Society for Mind, Brain, and Behavior.

“Sandip was a deeply valued and loved member of the College and Dunster House communities,” Khurana wrote. “My deepest condolences are with Sandip’s family and loved ones during this time.”

Dunster House Faculty Deans Sean D. Kelly and Cheryl K. Chen wrote in a message to house residents that Nirmel was a “dearly loved” member of the House. He often ate breakfast with blockmates in the dining hall, participated in intramurals, and completed problem sets in Dunster’s halls, they wrote.

“The death of a beloved member of our community is one of the hardest things we can confront. Unfortunately, we have undergone it too many times already in Dunster House this year,” Kelly and Chen wrote. “If there is a saving grace, it is that we have one another for support.”

Kelly and Chen wrote in their message that the House will hold a memorial gathering in the Dunster House Junior Common Room Friday evening with Harvard chaplains and administrators.

—Staff writer Shera S. Avi-Yonah can be reached at shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter at @saviyonah.

—Staff writer Delano R. Franklin can be reached at delano.franklin@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter at @delanofranklin_.