Cristian Stagarescu

I would like to express my sincerest condolences to Cris’s family and friends. He was highly respected by colleagues and industry peers alike. Some of my fondest memories of Cris was our intense discussions of politics, social issues, and current events. We were rarely on the same side of the conversation, but had mutual respect for one another’s view. I can tell you, to his credit, you better come to the conversation armed with facts and figures or Cris would make you look foolish. Over time I would look forward to our intense conversations. My greatest memory of Cris was the day he came to me beaming with pride because he had just become a citizen of the United States of America. I was incredibly happy for him. He was genuinely happy with himself and with his accomplishment. I value the 15 years spent as a colleague of Cris’s at BinOptics/Macom. I hope and believe that he is happy in his new journey. He will be missed. Sincerely, Mark E. LITTLE

To Cris Some say that some people are special to us because they are in our lives for a special season. Cris was one of those few special people to me. From the summer of 2001 to spring of 2004, I had the privilege to work closely with Cris, along with ~6 other colleagues, in a small start-up called Binoptics in Ithaca, upstate New York. I am confident to say that during those days, Cris and I had spent more time with each other in a lab called Cornell Nanoscience Facility (CNF) than with anyone else in our lives. Cris was to me a supervisor, mentor, and teacher, even though we never used those terms and titles in the company or with each other. I was fresh out of college and Cris taught me literally everything I needed for my job as a photonic device process engineer- from chemical vapor deposition to photolithography to etching to SEM, etc. Cris and I worked with the team almost 24-7, either together or back to back, constantly trying to find the recipes and to make the process run. We worked with each other through many ungodly hours, on some very specific engineering problems that most people on earth wouldn’t have encountered and needed to solve, and with some of the most fragile materials in the world. Because of the skills Cris had taught me, we have shared some of the most wonderful moments together and in my life of seeing with our own eyes under the microscope the beauty of science when it works. I am sure I had pissed him off many times because I didn’t listen to him, but he also believed in me and gave me room to experiment and let me surprise him sometimes. Having worked together in high stress situations, we have seen some of each other’s best and worst moments that no one else has seen, like how to ‘kick it hard and keep the ball rolling’, or how to cope when a wafer, loaded with weeks, sometimes months of hard work from the whole team, at the brink of an eye shattered in to pieces in front of you in a spinbowl by accident, or how after all the hard work we learn often just over the phone how amazingly the devices we made performed. When you work like that with someone, you develop a very special bond. Cris was also a friend. We ate and laugh and make fun a lot together. We shared many jokes during his smoke breaks out in the loading dock at the back in the cold bleak winter of Cornell. We had chased wild geese together in a RAV4 in a technology park after lunch on a bright sunny day and got told off by the security guard through our CEO. All of that is something very special to me, and Cris was a big part of those good old days. It’s interesting that it was about two weeks before I received the news of his passing that I felt an urge to email him and I did. It was because I was writing a sermon and I wanted to ask Cris for permission to mention him and a conversation we had when I resigned from my job to be equipped to become a pastor or missionary, and possibly arrange a Covid online happy hour / reunion. I don’t know if Cris had seen that email. I wish I had contacted him earlier and more often. The sermon was on the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 11 to 12 in the Bible, and it was about how while life often feels like smoke and vapor- it’s fleeting, frustrating, futile, meaningless, mysterious and absurd, but all of it, is also a gift from God to be enjoyed to the fullest because of Christ. While I am very sad that Cris is gone so suddenly, I also thank God for Cris and his life, because those days I had with Cris were some of the best times and memories I have. And Cris was a very special part of the gift of life to me from God. God bless you all Nap

I first met Cris in the Spring of 2001. We were the first two engineers/scientists to join BinOptics, a photonics startup in Ithaca, NY. We worked there for the next 14 years as BinOptics, then 4 years as Macom. Cris was driven by the pursuit of knowledge, and it was a pleasure work with him. I always enjoyed listening to his stories about growing up in Romania, and the special humor he used to recount so many of our shared experiences in Ithaca. He was particularly adept at pointing out, and making fun of life’s ironies. These are the things that come to mind when I remember Cris. It is hard to imagine a world without Cris, but he is still with us in our memories. -Al

At work, Cris was a passionate and brilliant researcher who elevated everyone around him. I spent the 10 best years of my life with Cris and my friends in Ithaca. While I will miss Cris, I know that I will always cherish and recount the beautiful memories again and again for the rest of my life. RIP Cris. .. Vinu

I first met Cris at my interview at BinOptics back in summer 2010 and there onward, we were working together for a little over 8 years till he decided to (or forced to) leave the company. What an amazing 8 years those days were! He taught me a lot, together with Al and my uncle Mark.L, and for that I appreciate him all my life, not just technical stuff but how to survive some high stress situation. I enjoyed all of his stories about growing up in Romania. Oh and I remember there’s one time, unknowingly I asked him if Romanian the language sounds like Russian, and to which he answered “look kid, Romanian starts with Roma, so take a guess”. I love him so much! Not to say he’s perfect, there were ups and downs but deep down I know Cris will always be there. I know Cris spent most of his live going solo but I know how much he loves his brother, spending many thanksgivings or Christmas with his brother’s family. Marian, sorry for your loss and our deepest condolence. And RIP Cris, you’ll always be with us.

I became friends with Cris when I joined BinOptics/MACOM. Cris became a close friend and my mentor. He taught me many things. His high standard for quality work helped me develop my skills and have had a huge impact in my professional development. He encouraged me to keep improving my skills and gain more knowledge.
Cris loved his family. He shared stories of growing up in Romania. He also talked a lot about his niece and nephew.
Cris, Adam and I used to spend a lot of time together outside work. We shared many interests. We used to spend hours talking about stock market, food, politics. We also explored most of the food around Ithaca and nearby towns. He was well read and knowledgeable. After he found about my love for books, he gifted me many books to add to my library. We traveled together as well. Here are a few picture of Cris, me and Adam. First one is in the entrance lobby of Empire state building from out trip to the NYC. During the trip, he had fun teasing me and Adam about our hair. Second one is from when they visited me in Toronto. We braved -5F weather on top of the CN tower to take that picture.
To Stagarescu family, my deepest condolences and I am sorry for your loss.
Cris, I will miss you. Your loss is very difficult and extremely saddening but I will always cherish the memories and fun we had together. Rest in peace my friend, see you down the road!

Great colleague and wonderful scientist. Cristian will be missed…. Amit Nagra, Rockley Photonics

I was very sad to hear about Cris through our mutual friend. We first met close to 20 years ago as fairly young recents grads armed with our PhDs ?. We had a great time in those early days working long days at a startup and hanging out in the little town of Ithaca, NY. Our paths crossed for a short 2 years but we became great friends as well with being mutually respected colleagues. The last time we actually saw each other was about 10 years ago. My wife and I went to a wedding in upstate NY and met the old crew for dinner. We stayed at nearby B&B and the next day we had some extra time before we had to catch our flight. I called Cris to meet us for coffee and he gladly made the time to meet us. I am absolutely grateful we got one more hour to spend time with Cris. Although since that time we’ve only kept in via email or text I will miss him greatly. I will share a picture from our last meeting, thanks Vinu for sending it. I want to express my sincerest condolences to Cris’s family at his untimely passing.