“The composition of matter as we see it today is the product of nuclear reactions which have taken place a long time ago in the stars or in star explosions, where conditions prevailed which we simulate in a very microscopic way within our accelerating machines. Hence the material basis of the world in which we live is a product of the laws of nuclear physics. I cannot better illustrate the interconnection of all facts of nature, the tightly woven net of the laws of physics, than by pointing to the chart of abundances of elements in our part of the universe. Each maximum and minimum in the curve of abundances corresponds to some trait of nuclear dynamics, here a closed shell, there a strong neutron cross section, or a low binding energy.” Victor F. Weisskopf
Smarajit Triambak (NRF/DST SARChI Chair) is an expert on fundamental symmetries in nuclear physics and investigate them with state-of-the-art nuclear experiments, which many times builds himself with collaborators.
Mark Herbert(Senior Lecturer) is an expert on neutron detection and simulations, and a passionate on improving Physics teachers in high schools.
Extraordinary Professors
Robbie Lindsay(UWC) is a nuclear theorist, and expert on nuclear applications, especially involving novel techniques of radon measurements. Google Scholar Citations
Kobus Lawrie(UWC) is a nuclear experimentalist, expert on GEANT simulations, detectors, electronics and data analysis of high-spin states.
John Wood (Georgia Tech/UWC) is a mayor part of the Tastes of Nuclear Physics, who has attended every year for the last 10 years.
Paul Garrett (Guelph/UWC) is a strong collaborator on experiments and he and his group support our students with data analysis, experiments and physics guidance. He spent an unforgettable sabbatical year at UWC during July 2017 – July 2018.
Elena Lawrie(iThemba LABS/UWC) is a principal investigator of the GAMKA project and she proposed — together with two collaborators — the Dandelion frame for the GAMKA Spectrometer, and made simulations on its performance. She has supervised many UWC and UNIZULU students and has been involved in most of our experiments at iThemba LABS. She has taught Nuclear Structure Physics and Introductory Nuclear Physics at UWC since the beginning of the MaNUS/MatSci program.
David Jenkins (York/UWC) is strongly supporting the Modern African Nuclear DEtector LAboratory at UWC and UNIZULU, and training our students with hands-on and computing skills. He is the grant holder of the STFC Global Challenge Research Fund involving York/UWC/UNIZULU and co-spokesperson of our leading experiment at CERN.
Late Rob de Meijer was Robbie Lindsay’s collaborator on nuclear applications and had some amazing ideas that he kept testing until the end of his life. He will always be remembered by the nuclear physics community in SA.
