 | Dr. Sthabile Kolwa - Lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Johannesburg Dr. Sthabile Kolwa was born and raised in South Africa. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Cape Town. She pursued her PhD in Astrophysics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany. After obtaining her PhD in 2019, Dr. Kolwa returned to South Africa and joined The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy as a post-doctoral research fellow. During this time, she worked with the MeerKAT/MIGHTEE working group to study the evolution of radio galaxies and black holes. Her work on this project has led to several publications in international scientific journals. In 2021, Dr. Kolwa joined the University of Johannesburg as a Physics lecturer. She teaches an electromagnetism course to second-year engineering students and a course on astrophysics for fourth-year honours students. Dr. Kolwa's contributions to Astrophysics have earned her recognition and several awards. She made history in 2021 by becoming the first Black woman to hold an Astronomy faculty position at a South African university. |
 | Dr. Elizabeth Hays - Project Scientist Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) Dr. Elizabeth Hays is a renowned astrophysicist and the Project Scientist for the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Her work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the universe, and she is an inspiration to many. As the Project Scientist for the Fermi mission, Dr. Hays is responsible for overseeing the scientific goals of the project. She works with a team of scientists and engineers to ensure that the telescope is operating as expected and that the data it collects is of the highest quality. She also helps to analyse the data and interpret the results, working to advance our understanding of the high-energy universe. Dr. Hays's work on the Fermi mission has led to numerous groundbreaking discoveries. She has published over 100 scientific papers, including several in high-profile journals like Nature and Science. Her contributions to the field of astrophysics have earned her numerous awards, including the Robert H. Goddard Scientific Achievement Award, the Fellow of the American Physical Society Award, and the NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship Award. |
 | Dr. Gopolang Mohlabeng - Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Canada "When you have a dream you want to achieve, nothing is going to stop you. Have that tunnel vision and don’t let anything get in your way. That is how I was able to make it." - Gopolang Mohlabeng Dr. Gopolang Mohlabeng was born and raised in South Africa. He was born in the Township Atteridgeville. He earned his honours degree in Astrophysics and Space Science at the University of Cape Town. He then went on to pursue further studies in the United Stated, where he obtained his MSc and PhD degrees at the University of Kansas. Dr. Mohlabeng's research interests include the search for dark matter using a variety of terrestrial and astrophysical probes, the neutrino-dark matter connection, and particle cosmology. In his free time, he plays soccer or travels to new and exciting places. He loves learning about new cultures and trying new and exotic food. "Dr. Gopolang Mohlabeng’s research into dark matter has received global recognition and earned the University of Pretoria (UP) alumnus a spot on the global 25 Rising Stars in Astronomy List. The list profiles researchers in the astronomy field from across the word whose work has contributed to our understanding of what still remains one of the greatest mysteries of nature." (Mathibela, X. 2022) Reference: Mathibela, X. (2022). UP alumnus featured on the 25 Rising Stars in Astronomy List. Available at: https://www.up.ac.za/alumni/news/post_3109875-up-alumnus-featured-on-the-25-rising-stars-in-astronomy-list (Accessed 30 May 2023). |
