Aslan was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1943. As a teenager, his family emigrated to Belgium, where he lived for 3 years, before settling in Providence, Rhode Island to attend high school. He ran track and cross country, placing 31st in the Boston Marathon (among participants from Rhode Island). After college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he completed a Ph.D. in physics at Brown University, where he met his wife Mania.

In his first career, Aslan was a physicist. He briefly worked at Motorola in Arizona before joining a lab at the National Bureau of Standards (later the National Institute of Standards and Technology), where he worked for 11 years. After having three children, he attended law school at night at George Washington University to start a second career as a patent attorney. As a lawyer, he was recognized for both his legal skills and his scientific expertise.

Aslan is survived by his wife, three children (David, Sarah, and Jonathan), his twin brother Sami, and his older brother Sal, their families, and a huge extended family around the country and world. He was a dedicated fan of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington football. He was an avid reader of American history, in particular biographies of the presidents, and paperback mysteries. On television, he preferred movies from the 1930s and '40s (or Hill Street Blues). Aslan was a kind, funny, and decent person who was also a little mischievous. He will be dearly missed by his friends and family.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Contributions in Aslan's memory can be made to the charity of your choice.