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Celebrating our community: awards and honours
from Contact 14
In this section we celebrate success and recognise colleagues, partners and members of the community who have received prestigious grants, awards and honours in recent months.
Dr Phil Mjwara, director-general of the South African Department of Science and Innovation and South African representative on the SKAO Council, received the National Research Foundation (NRF) Significant Contribution Award for his instrumental role in the development of the SKA project in South Africa, including in supporting employment opportunities, skills development, education and training.
The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) received a Gold Pleiades Award from the Astronomical Society of Australia for the institution’s commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in astronomical sciences and technology.
Dr Nichole Barry, a member of the SKAO’s Epoch of Reoinisation Science Working Group, was a joint winner of the Astronomical Society of Australia’s Louise Webster Prize for outstanding research by an early-career scientist, for her work with the SKA precursor Murchison Widefield Array.
Dr Rob Adam, former director of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) will receive an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University in recognition of his substantial contribution to science, technology and society, including his instrumental roles in the completion of the MeerKAT radio telescope and in South Africa’s successful bid to be a host of the SKA Observatory.
Prof. Heino Falcke, a member of the SKAO’s High Energy Cosmic Particles Science Working Group, was awarded the Balzan Prize for being the first to envision imaging the immediate surroundings of a black hole, and for his leadership of the Event Horizon Telescope.
Prof. Yashwant Gupta, director of India’s National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) has been awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2023 by his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, for his seminal contributions to radio astronomy.
