From Yuanqing Wang via Jorn Hurum:
Dear friends of Yaoming Hu,
It is with deepest regret to announce the passing away of Dr. Yaoming Hu on April 12, 2008, at the age of 42 years, after a heavy illness. He was born on October 27, 1966 in Jiangsu, China. In 1988 he graduated from the Department of Geology of the Peking University, after a four years course in Geology. He was granted the degree of Master of Paleontology in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1992, and the Ph. D. in Biology in the City University of New York in 2006.
Beginning in 1992 Yaoming was working at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a Research Assistant, an Assistant Research Professor, Associate Research Professor, and a Research Professor. During his scientific life he was engaged in studies on the Mesozoic and Paleogene mammals of China and became a well-known specialist on them. His contributions cover the anatomy, phylogeny, systematics, biostratigraphy and related issues of many Paleogene and Mesozoic mammal groups, including anaglids, yuomyid rodents, rhombomylid glires, leporid and ochotonid lagomorphs, repenomamid and gobiconodontid triconodonts, eobaatarid multituberculates, spalacotheriid symmetrodonts, and the gliding volaticotheriid, etc.
Yaoming has been a hard worker, entirely devoted to science. He had a very kind, serene and modest character, with unusual sense of humor. He had a happy family life with his wife Yanjie, and left behind a four-year-old son. He will be missed and long remembered by those of us who knew and loved him.
