A hiker found deceased after a suspected fall in the Inyo National Forest in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains earlier this month has been identified as a doctoral student at UC Santa Barbara.

Vikram Mubayi, a chemical engineering doctoral candidate, was found by the Inyo County Search and Rescue on Aug. 3 after he was reported missing on Aug. 2.

His last message was received the evening of Aug. 1 near the mountain pass Agassiz Col, according to Inyo County Search and Rescue and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.

Lindsey Stine, an Inyo County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, identified the hiker as Mubayi to Noozhawk.

University spokesperson Kiki Reyes confirmed he started at the university in Fall 2022.

He was expected to complete his Ph.D. during the upcoming academic year, per Reyes.

Rescuers located Mubayi above Sam Mack Meadow with the help of a helicopter provided by the California Highway Patrol and Mubayi’s Garmin inReach, a satellite communication device.

After arriving on scene, rescuers determined that he sustained severe injuries that were “consistent with a fall from the cliff,” per Search and Rescue.

Search and Rescue spokespeople said that Mubayi planned to hike from the Glacier Lodge in Big Pine to the west side of the Palisades and back to Glacier Lodge.

The trek involved “many miles of difficult off-trail travel and significant elevation gain and loss,” per Search and Rescue.

“Mountain travel can be unpredictable, especially during long days in remote and difficult terrain. Plan conservatively, carry adequate warm layers and an emergency bivy bag, and be prepared to adjust plans as conditions change,” Search and Rescue spokespeople said.

“If darkness approaches or conditions deteriorate, stopping to shelter in place and waiting for daylight may be safer than continuing through unfamiliar or difficult terrain.”