UWC Astronomy People 2023

The UWC Astronomy team in 2019 – before the pandemic

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 

Michelle GablerAstro
Nombuyiselo NqakalaCRC

ACADEMIC STAFF 

Ed ElsonAssociate Professor
Lerothodi LeeuwProfessor
Michelle LochnerSenior Lecturer (UWC/SARAO)
Roy MaartensSARChI Professor, Astro Head
Siyambonga MatshawuleLecturer
Mario SantosSARChI Professor, CRC Director
Russ TaylorProfessor, IDIA Director (UCT/UWC/SARAO)
Mattia VaccariProfessor, UWC eResearch Director

RESEARCH STAFF 

Fangxia AnIDIA Postdoctoral Fellow
Marcin GlowackiIDIA Postdoctoral Fellow
Melis IrfanSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Sheean JolicoeurSARChI Postdoctoral Fellow
Dionysios KaragiannisSARChI Postdoctoral Fellow
Piyanat KittiwisitSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Rahul KothariSARChI Postdoctoral Fellow
Yi-chao LiSARChI Postdoctoral Fellow
Eliab Malefachlo SARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Hengxing PanSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Tamirat GogoSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Louis PerenonSARChI Postdoctoral Fellow
Matt PrescottIDIA/CRC Senior Research Fellow
Jingying Wang CRC Postdoctoral Fellow
Piyanat Boom KittiwisitSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Gauri SharmaSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Hengxing PanSARAO Postdoctoral Fellow
Albertus SeyffertLSST Postdoctoral Fellow

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS 

StudentSuperviser(s)
Simthembile DlaminiRoy Maartens / Sheean Jolicoeur
Brandon EngelbrechtMario Santos / Jingying Wang / Yi-chao Li
Narusha IsaacsEd Elson
Mekuanint Kifle Lerothodi Leeuw
Mponeng KopanaRoy Maartens / Sheean Jolicoeur
Eliab MalefahloMario Santos / Matt Jarvis
Mosima MasipaMario Santos / Sultan Hassan
Nomthendeleko MothaRoy Maartens / Michelle Lochner / Louis Perenon
Omphile RabyangLerothodi Leeuw
Nandrianina RandriamiarinarivoEd Elson / Andrew Baker / Roy Maartens
Liantsoa RandrianjanaharyRoy Maartens / Dionysios Karagiannis
Nicole Thomas Romeel Dave / Ed Elson
Junaid TownsendMario Santos / Sourabh Paul
Jan-Albert Viljoen Roy Maartens 
Verlon EtsebethMichelle Lochner
Boikhutso MabalaRuss Taylor / Mattia Vaccari
Kabelo MalapaneMario Santos / Phil Bull
Sibusiso MdhluliRuss Taylor / Mattia Vaccari
Mfundo MdwadubeMattia Vaccari
Chaka MofokengMattia Vaccari / Russ Taylor
Malebo MolokoMario Santos / Matt Prescott
Thando MothogoaneEd Elson / Marcin Glowacki
Palesa NombulaMario Santos / Bruce Bassett
Malema RamonyaiMichelle Lochner
Mpendulo Sibiya Lerothodi Leeuw / Maarten Baes / Erwin de Blok 
Walter SilimaMattia Vaccari / Fangxia An
Fabio LuchsingerMattia Vaccari / Jordan Collier
Sifiso MahlalelaMario Santos / Melis Irfan
Jade Petersen-Charles Michelle Lochner
Craig SmithEd Elson
Koketso MohaleMichelle Lochner
Geoff MurphyMario Santos / Philip Bull
Ron-Ryan BaatjesRoy Maartens
Felicia SetshabeMario Santos
Lwandile GwebusheEd Elson

SUPPORT STAFF

Robin HallSenior Systems Administrator

AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS

  • Sambatra Andrianomena (SARAO)
  • Mario Ballardini (Bologna)
  • Phil Bull (Queen Mary London)
  • Stefano Camera (Turin) 
  • Chris Clarkson (Queen Mary London)
  • Michelle Cluver (Swinburne)
  • Catherine Cress (UWC)
  • Daniel Cunnama (SAAO) 
  • Romeel Davé (Edinburgh)
  • José Fonseca (Queen Mary London)
  • Sultan Hassan (Flatiron New York)
  • Jarita Holbrook (Edinburgh)
  • Matt Jarvis (Oxford)
  • Dave Kilkenny (UWC)
  • Alkistis Pourtsidou (Queen Mary London)
  • Maciej Serylak (SKAO Manchester)
  • Marta Spinelli (Zurich)
  • Imogen Whittam (Oxford) 
  • Sourabh Paul (McGill University)

Latest news about our people:

  • 2022 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS AT THE CENTRE FOR RADIO COSMOLOGY
    The Centre for Radio Cosmology (CRC) at UWC is internationally recognised for its research in cosmology using MeerKAT and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). CRC faculty are involved in other MeerKAT and SKA key science, as well as in HERA, HIRAX and the Rubin Observatory (LSST). In 2021, the UWC Astro Group consists of 25 …

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  • Science Belongs To All Of Us – NSTF “Science Oscar” For Science Communicator Prof Carolina Ödman
    By Nicklaus Kruger, UWC Institutional Advancement. South Africa is a country of many languages – but for many of us, “science” isn’t one of them. Astrophysicist and Associate Professor Carolina Ödman has made it her mission to translate and share the joys of science with everyone – and her efforts have earned her the coveted Communication & …

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  • UWC’s Best Masters student awarded to Mr Mogamad-Junaid Townsend
    The award was announced during UWC’s Annual Research Recognition Awards and presented by the DVC Research and Innovation, Prof. Jozé Frantz. Mogamad-Junaid competed his MSc Summa Cum Laude within 2 years of enrolling. His hope is to go on and pursue a career as a cosmologist, studying the history and evolution of the universe, while …

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  • Africa for Africa – Yao Marc becomes Ivory Coast’s very first astrophysicist
    His dream has always been to come to South Africa to study astrophysics. Today, Harris Yao Marc can proudly say he became the first to earn a PhD in astrophysics in his home country, the Ivory Coast. Marc knew he was certainly aiming for the stars in wanting to become an astrophysicist, and when the …

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  • UWC Astro members elected to IAU committees
    The International Astronomical Union recently held its elections for members to lead the various scientific bodies organised as divisions and commissions. UWC Astronomy members Carolina Odman (IDIA) and Lucia Marchetti (former postdoc, now at UCT) were elected to Commission C2 “Communicating Astronomy to the Public” and Division J “Galaxies and Cosmology” respectively. We congratulate them …

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  • Postdoctoral Fellowships
    The Centre for Radio Cosmology (CRC) at UWC is internationally recognised for its research in cosmology using MeerKAT, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and other radio and optical/IR telescopes. CRC faculty are involved in MeerKAT and SKA key science, as well as in HERA, HIRAX and the Rubin Observatory (LSST). In 2021, the UWC Astro …

    Read more