LATEST RESEARCH NEWS FROM WITS

Wits physicist is joint winner of The World Academy of Sciences award (December, 2022)

Wits physicist Professor Andrew Forbes jointly won the award in the Physics category of the 2024 The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) awards that were announced late in November.

Forbes was recognised for his seminal contributions in creating new forms of classical and quantum states of structured light, thereby advancing photonic-based applications and fundamental sciences.

Kwo won the award for her outstanding work in condensed matter research, with the invention of novel thin films for magnetism, superconductivity, nano-electronics and spintronics; and for her pioneering work in the field of artificial magnetic superlattices.

Mental health in SA is at shocking levels but people are not seeking help

A new study reveals that South Africans suffer higher rates of probable depression and anxiety than other countries. However, only a quarter of those receive treatment. Complex factors are contributors.

Mental health woes are endemic in South Africa, with adverse childhood experiences, socio-economic status, geographic location, age, marital status and education levels impacting the prevalence of mental illness.

Postdoctoral Research

If you are a recent PhD graduate, we encourage you to complete your postdoctoral fellowship at Wits. This will greatly assist your professional development and prepare you for a career in academia. Consider it a two-year academic ‘apprenticeship’ or internship.

Meet Three Of Our Bright Postgrad Fellows

Dr Bernice Monchusi (PhD)

Bernice Monchusi is a Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Professor Mandeep Kaur at the School of Molecular and Cell Biology

Dr Bernice Monchusi received the Postgraduate Student Biotech Fundi award from the InnovationHub, for Gauteng region in 2018. She is currently part of a team involved in several projects relating to cancer drug resistance. Her main project focuses on exploring the role of microRNAs in cholesterol-mediated drug resistance, in breast cancer.

The Research Impact

Several projects are currently being run in Professor Kaur’s laboratory to develop new therapeutic approaches to combat drug resistance in cancer. The lab also does anticancer screening on cell lines for several collaborators within South Africa and India.

Dr Iniyan Natarajan (PhD)

Iniyan Natarajan is a Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorshop of Professor Roger Deane in the School of Physics

Dr Iniyan Natarajan, a postdoctoral researcher currently working with Dr Roger Deane, a professor of radio astronomy at Wits, was part of the team that simulated the black hole polarisation images of the M87 galaxy, as well as the team that helped generate the final image that was released.

The Research Impact

Scientists aim to create a 3D map of the black hole’s surroundings, and hope to better understand black hole coronas and explore how the corona of a black hole is capable of producing bright X-ray flares.

Wits offers a large number of Postdoctoral Fellowships annually and our goal is to grow the number of Postdoctoral Fellows to more than 200.

Latest Research News From Wits

Just transition requires political, economic and behavioural change

Achieving access to minimum resources and services for all, while safeguarding our planet, requires redistribution and societal transformation.

There is an urgent need for new political, economic, behavioural and technological systems that protect people and the planet, in order to implement the fundamental transformative changes that address poverty and inequality, while reducing environmental impacts.

Geraud Nangue Tasse (PhD)

Computer science student Geraud Tasse was awarded the IBM PhD Fellowship Award in 2021 for his work on composition in reinforcement learning (RL). He is one of 16 students worldwide to receive the award.

Tasse completed his composition work in boolean task algebra. Boolean algebra has been fundamental in the development of digital electronics and is present in all modern programming languages.

The Research Impact

The outcome of the process is building a smart machine that constitutes a software system capable of accomplishing tasks that commonly require human intelligence. Such machines can be robots or computer systems.

Africa’s first endovascular robotic unit will advance research and enable ‘outreach intelligence’

The new unit at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) is both a robotics research opportunity and a global responsibility.

The WDGMC, the first and only private teaching hospital in South Africa, launched a state-of-the art endovascular robotics unit on 14 September 2022.The unit is the first in Africa and the Middle East to use the Corindus CorPath GRX vascular robotic for Robotic Assisted Endovascular Interventions (RAEI).

The WDGMC trains medical experts, specialists and sub-specialists in fields including endovascular [inside the blood vessel] surgery. Endovascular surgery is a procedure that uses microscopic incisions and long, thin tubes [catheters] inserted into a blood vessel to repair it.

Diamonds are a quantum scientist’s best friend

6 October 2020 - Wits Universit y

New research led by Professor Somnath Bhattacharyya in the NanoScale Transport Physics Laboratory (NSTPL) in the School of Physics, details the phenomenon of what is called, “triplet superconductivity” in diamonds. Triplet superconductivity occurs when electrons move in a composite spin state rather than as a single pair. This is an extremely rare, yet efficient form of superconductivity that until now has only been known to occur in one or two other materials, and only theoretically in diamonds.

Research Impact

This finding expands the potential uses of diamonds, which is already well-regarded as a quantum material. “All conventional technology is based on semiconductors associated with electron charge. Thus far, we have a decent understanding of how they interact, and how to control them. But when we have control over quantum states such as superconductivity and entanglement, there is a lot more physics to the charge and spin of electrons, and this also comes with new properties,” says Bhattacharyya. “With the new surge of superconducting materials such as diamonds, traditional silicon technology can be replaced by cost effective and low power consumption solutions”.

The induction of triplet superconductivity in diamonds is important for more than just its potential applications. It speaks to our fundamental understanding of physics. “Thus far, triplet superconductivity exists mostly in theory, and our study gives us an opportunity to test these models in a practical way,” says Bhattacharyya.

www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/research-news/2020/