NITheP presentation including video
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The National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) is a center of excellence in South Africa that leads research and educational opportunities in theoretical physics. NITheP has regional nodes at Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, and University of KwaZulu-Natal. The institute strives to foster all areas of theoretical physics research and supports associates, students, and early career researchers through funding programs. Over the past decade, NITheP has made significant contributions to human capacity development and the transformation of theoretical physics in South Africa.
NITheP presentation including video
- 2. “The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological - technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science.” Stephen Hawking
- 3. “It seemed incredibly exciting to spend one's life attempting to find the secrets of the universe by using one's mind.” David Gross
- 4. Our vision To be Africa's leading and an internationally competitive research and training institute in theoretical physics, a discipline that provides the conceptual framework for the natural sciences.
- 5. Our mission To sustain a stimulating theoretical physics research and user facility that links South Africa internationally through excellence in research and training thereby supporting scientific innovation, transformation and socio economic development in South Africa.
- 6. A home for theoretical physics The National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) is managed as a National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE), that leads research programmes and educational opportunities in the field of theoretical physics in South Africa and Africa.
- 7. National representation NITheP is a geographically distributed institute that includes ALL theoretical physicists in South Africa. Headquarters: Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS), at Stellenbosch University. Regional nodes: • University of the Witwatersrand • University of KwaZulu-Natal
- 8. RESEARCH
- 9. Research • NITheP strives to foster research in all areas of theoretical physics. • Beyond the Standard Model • Open Quantum Systems • Statistical Physics of Phase Transitions • Quantum Transport and Mesoscopic Physics • Our research staff at SU, WITS and UKZN focus on the broad areas of:
- 10. Our research network Category 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Contract 5 4 7 5 5 4 Post doc (internal and external) 10 6 11 17 8 12 Individual associates 46 53 59 63 66 71 Long term visitor 8 7 8 9 13 11 Students supervised (MSc, PhD) 25 38 29 35 36 23 Bursary (MSc, PhD) 44 39 33 23 29 33 Size and shape of the NITheP research network
- 11. Research outputs: publications Publication trend for the period 2007 – 2015
- 12. Research outputs: citations Citation record for the period 2007 – 2015
- 13. Research network Our international collaborative network
- 14. ASSOCIATES
- 15. Associate network NITheP has two types of associates: • Institutional for well-constituted groupings at SA tertiary institutions or national facilities. • Individual for individuals at South African tertiary institutions or national facilities.
- 16. Associate support Associates can apply annually for financial support under the following programmes: • Workshop • Short research • Mobility • Visitor
- 17. STUDENTS
- 18. Student support These programmes are aimed at researchers and students to drive research and capacity-building goals. • Travel grants • Internships • Bursary programme Attendees of our 2015 bursary holder workshop
- 19. Bursaries • NITheP offers bursaries at masters and doctoral levels for studies in theoretical physics. • Bursaries are available at all South African tertiary institutions.
- 20. Bursary values Level Value Term Hons R50 000 1 year full-time study MSc R80 000 2 years full-time study PhD R100 000 3 years full-time study
- 22. Human capacity development NITheP has made a considerable contribution to human capacity development. Since inception, NITheP has delivered an impressive: • 61 MSc students • 28 PhD students
- 23. Human capacity development: postgraduate supervision
- 24. Human capacity development: graduation numbers Number of bursary holders and/or students under NITheP staff supervision who graduated from 2010 to 2015:
- 25. Human capacity development 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 South Africa Other African International Total Student enrolment in NITheP training events
- 26. TRANSFORMATION
- 27. Transformation Transformation of the theoretical physics landscape in terms of race and gender is a priority of NITheP.
- 28. Transformation Demographic profile of bursary holders in MSc programme 44 61 74 60 43 38 64 56 39 26 40 57 62 36 11 19 4 7 21 8 21 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 % % White % Black % Female
- 29. Transformation Demographic profile of bursary holders in PhD programme 41 36 52 62 56 30 18 59 64 48 38 44 70 82 12 0 14 13 19 0 9 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 % % White % Black % Female
- 30. Theoretical physics… as a driver of technological development Predictions made by theoretical physicists, e.g. the Standard Model and Gravitational Waves, have often become the focus of large experimental tests.
- 31. Theoretical physics… as a driver of technological development • World Wide Web (www): developed at CERN to facilitate communication and sharing of data between experimenters. Experimental efforts have delivered many technological benefits, most notably: • LIGO: the most sensitive seismic instrument ever built; has many potential applications to study the geology of earth far beyond anything previously available.
- 32. Direct technological applications flowing from theoretical physics Apart from the indirect technological impact of theoretical physics as a driver of technology, many more direct technological applications have benefitted mankind…
- 33. Direct technological applications flowing from theoretical physics • Nuclear energy: uses the equivalence between mass and energy as predicted by Einstein’s famous formula: E = mc2 • GPS uses general relativity to correct for time differences between clocks in a gravitational field. • Transistors, lasers, NMR, CDs, DVDs, SQUIDS: all rely on our understanding and control of quantum mechanics. • Quantum technology: a new branch of technology that directly uses quantum mechanics for computing, secure communication and many other applications.
- 34. Socio-economic impact… of theoretical physicists With their advanced analytic and numerical skills, theoretical physicists also contribute in other ways to the economy: Software developers Employed by soft- and hardware developers such as Google, Microsoft and Apple. Quantitative analysts Employed by banks, fund managers, stockbroker and consultation firms. Researchers Employed by universities, research facilities and high-tech companies. Lecturers and teachers Universities, colleges and schools. Entrepreneurs Own consultation firms for industrial and financial sectors.
- 36. Contact us NITheP: Stellenbosch University René Kotzé T: 021 808 2649 | E: renekotze@sun.ac.za NITheP: University of Witwatersrand T: 011 717 6838 NITheP: University of KwaZulu-Natal Nelisiwe Mncube T: 031 260 7570 | E: mncube@ukzn.ac.za