Tino Bassi, PhD
Welcome
Hello friends and family, and welcome to the virtual Celebration of Life for Tiziano (Tino) Bassi, PhD. On this website you will find photos, videos, and stories of our beloved Tino. You can begin by reading his biography below, or by viewing the following pages:
Biography
Born on November 25th, 1996, Tino immediately completed our family. Over the course of his life Tino was many things to the people around him, including a beloved son, a close brother, a loving boyfriend, an uncle, a cat and a dog dad, a faithful friend, and of course, a diligent lab mate.
From the very beginning Tino displayed a deep passion for learning about the natural world and he shared his enthusiasm with everyone he met. His kindness and sense of humor would brighten the darkest of days, and even though he was clearly very intelligent, he was also very humble and respectful to others.
Tino's achievements varied over the course of his life. As a child he regularly performed in piano recitals, and in high school he sang in the school choir. During his time at UCI, Tino conducted research experiments at the campus nuclear reactor. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
Following his undergraduate education, Tino joined the chemistry labs at UCSD to conduct research and pursue his PhD. It was at these labs where he successfully completed and published his first scientific paper in which he was listed as first author. Tino also met the love of his life Cynthia. The two of them shared an incredible bond during the last two years of his life.
Outside of his academic and research life, Tino never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need. Multiple times he was selected by students to receive an Excellence in Teaching award, as he taught with a deep passion and routinely went above and beyond to make sure his students would succeed.
Tino is survived by his parents Mario and Ester Bassi and his brother Alessandro Bassi. This website was created by the family to celebrate Tino's life and help remember the joy and love he brought into the world. His spirit will forever live on in our hearts, and his legacy will continue to inspire us.
About Tino
| Heritage | Italian American (First Generation) |
|---|---|
| Hometown | San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA |
| High School | San Juan Hills High School |
| University | University of California, Irvine |
| Graduate School | University of California, San Diego |
| Interests | Science, Hiking, Nature, Fitness, Music, Family |
Family
| Parents | Mario and Ester |
|---|---|
| Brother | Alessandro |
| Nephews | Nico and Luca |
| Girlfriend | Cynthia |
| Grandparents | Giovanni and Lina Bassi, Giorgio and Ofelia Roi |
| Cat | Coco |
| Dog | Basil |
Life Milestones
| 1996 | Birth |
|---|---|
| 1997 | First of several trips to Italy |
| 2015 | High school graduation |
| 2020 | UCI graduation |
| 2020 | Accepted into UCSD PhD program |
| 2021 | Met Cynthia |
| 2023 | Published first scientific paper |
| 2023 | Passed away |
| 2024 | Awarded PhD posthumously |
What Happened
The family would like to provide information about Tino's death in an effort to help foster understanding and closure to those around him. Click To Read »
In his late teenage years, Tino began to develop a severe anxiety disorder. With the support of his family, Tino tried years of intensive therapy, multiple medications, and he studied the available scientific literature to try and find relief.
For a while things did improve, and Tino continued on to graduate from UCI and eventually join UCSD’s chemistry department. Here he excelled in the PhD program, published his first scientific paper, made many new friends, and met a wonderful girlfriend. To those around him it seemed that his life was in such a good place — and largely it was — but the disorder quietly continued to wear him down.
During his final years, in an effort to protect those around him, Tino kept much of his struggles to himself. However, he made it very clear in a note he left behind that none of his family, friends, professors, students, or lab mates should feel any guilt or blame for what happened.
The situation was simply outside of anyone’s control, and we need to accept that he is finally feeling the peace that he so longed for.
"I hope that someday we will have a better understanding – one that perhaps permits us to give grace to the one who took their life and see it as something that happened to them, rather than something they did to themselves and others."
— Anonymous