- By Vaidika Thapa
- Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:13 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Indian-origin UCSB PhD student Vikram Mubayi found dead.
- Missing after solo hiking trip in California's Sierra Nevada.
- No foul play suspected; investigation into death underway.
An Indian-origin PhD student from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has been found dead in California's eastern Sierra Nevada. He had gone on a solo hiking trip and had been missing for two days. The student, identified as Vikram Mubayi, was pursuing a doctorate in Chemical Engineering.
Indian-Origin Student Found Dead After Solo Hike
His body was recovered from the Inyo National Forest after he went missing over the weekend in the Big Pne Lakes area, university authorities and student publication Daily Nexus have confirmed. According to local media reports, Mubayi had last contacted his family at approximately 8:30 pm on August 1 to share his GPS trail coordinates.
When he failed to return to his outpost on schedule and couldn’t be contacted further, his family formally reported him missing. Subsequently, the Inyo County Search and Rescue team along with California Highway Patrol launched a search operation. His body was recovered from the Big Pine Lakes area on August 3. Officials stated that an investigation into the exact circumstances of the death is underway. So far, they have rejected any signs of foul play.
Who Was Vikram Mubayi?
According to his family, Mubayi was an experienced hiker. He was born and raised in Hong Kong. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He also served as a teaching assistant and an undergraduate research assistant at the Burke Laboratory. According to his LinkedIn profile, his PhD research at UCSB focused on utilising bacteria and biological methods to break down plant waste and plastics.
After he went missing, his siblings shared a post on Reddit seeking help to track him. The post described Vikram as 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing approximately 170 pounds, with black hair. The post further mentioned that his vehicle was still parked at the trailhead.
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