top of page

Faculty

Professor Roger Deane
Director, SKA Chair in Radio Astronomy

Research interests:

galaxy evolution, strong gravitational lensing, 

binary supermassive black holes, MeerKAT, VLBI

IMG_0930c_square.jpg

roger.deane [at] wits.ac.za

Professor Andrew Chen
Personal Professor

Research interests:

Observational multiwavelength, multimessenger

and high-energy astrophysics

CV

andrew.chen [at] wits.ac.za

Andrew_Chen.jpg

Professor Matt Hilton
WITS-SARAO Professor

Research interests:

galaxy clusters, galaxy formation and evolution, observational cosmology

CV

matt.hilton[at] wits.ac.za

photo_2022-07-22_11-07-21.jpg

Professor Nukri Komin
Personal Professor

Research interests:

Gamma-ray astronomy and high-energy astrophysics. 

Galactic sources and remnants of stellar explosions: supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, gamma-ray binaries.

NukriKomin.jpg

nukri.komin [at] wits.ac.za

Dr Geoff Beck
Senior Lecturer

Research interests:

Dark matter, philosophy of science, quantum foundations

CV

geoff.beck [at] wits.ac.za

geoff_beck.jpg

Dr Sphesihle Makhathini
Senior Lecturer

Research interests:

Radio Astronomy Instrumentation, Software/Algorithm development for astronomy, extragalactic radio sources.

smakhathini-pic.jpg
CV

sphesihle.makhathini [at] wits.ac.za

Dr Nceba Mhlahlo
Lecturer

Research interests:

Extended radio emission, giant radio galaxies,

galaxy clusters

Nceba_Mhlahlo.JPG
CV

nceba.mhlahlo [at] wits.ac.za

Administrative Staff

Farah-Naaz Moosa 
Senior Administrative Assistant

Background:

 BA Psychology and Marketing (Wits)

Psychology Honours (Wits)

NITheCS Gauteng Node

Ca_3E3bd.jpg

farah-naaz.moosa [at] wits.ac.za

Postdocs

Dr Unnikrishnan Sureshkumar
SAAO-Rubin Observatory Postdoctoral Fellow

Research interests:

Galaxy clustering, large-scale structure,

environmental dependence of galaxy properties

Unnikrishnan.jpg

Unnikrishnan.Sureshkumar [at] wits.ac.za

Dr Sayan Basu
SARAO Chair Postdoctoral Fellow

Research interests:

Very Long Baseline Interferometry surveys, geodesy, 

binary supermassive black holes

Sayan-Basu.jpeg
CV

sayan.basu [at] wits.ac.za

Dr Justine Tarrant
Postdoctoral Fellow

justine.tarrant [at] wits.ac.za

Research interests:

gravitational waves, black holes, exotic physics,

electromagnetic signatures from black hole mergers

Justine_Tarrant.jpg
CV

Visiting / Honorary Staff

akemball.jpg

Distinguished Professor Athol Kemball
Wits Carnegie Africa Diaspora Professor

akemball [at] illinois.edu

Research interests:

radio interferometry; strong gravitational lensing; astrophysical masers; late-type, evolved stars

andreas.jpeg

Professor Andreas Faltenbacher
Honorary Associate Professor

andreas.faltenbacher [at] wits.ac.za

Research interests:

Machine Learning, cosmological simulations, dark matter, large scale structure, evolution of galaxy clusters

Dr Paolo Marchegiani
Honorary Research Associate

bulletcluster_comp_f2048-800x578.jpeg

paolo.marchegiani [at] wits.ac.za

Research interests:

galaxy cluster physics, the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect,

diffuse radio emission associated with clusters, dark matter

Students

PhD

Xola Ndaliso

Shilpa Ranchod (visiting from MPIfR)

William Rasakanya

Graham Lawrie

Mika Naidoo

Jacques Smulders

Karina Santana

Isaac Magolego

Michael Sarkis

Galefang Mapunda

MSc

Senkhosi Simelane

Bhuti Nkosi
Noko Monyebodi
Rowan Batzofin
Lalenthra Fisher
Melukuhle Mtombeni
Mpho Kgoadi
Ralekete Temo
Natasha Lavis
Raees Noorbhai
Paul Stansell

bottom of page