• Biography:

Professor Sifiso Senzo Ntshangase obtained his PhD in Physics from the University of Cape Town. His PhD work focused on the development of a gamma-ray detection instrument called a Recoil detector. This device is very effective in suppressing fission background, mostly encountered in the actinide region when measuring gamma-rays that follow heavy ion reactions.

Professor  Ntshangase is also a proud UNIZULU alumnus, having re-ceived his Bachelor’s degree here in 2002. While still doing his PhD in 2008, he was appointed as an Accelerator Physicist at iThemba LABS (the largest accelerator based, multi-disciplinary research facility in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere). His main responsibilities entailed producing various types of charged particles, using an electro-magnetic device called an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS). These charged ions are ultimately transported at relativistic speed, using particle accelerators in order to facilitate nuclear research activities and cancer therapy. During his tenure, he was instrumental in the as-sembly and commissioning of the Grenoble Test Ion Source (GTS), the most powerful ECRIS in the world. He was also appointed as a project leader for the Li beam development, which was a first of its kind to be developed and produced at iThemba LABS. This project was done in collaboration with the Joint In-stitute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, Russia. Currently, his research focuses on the evolution of exotic shapes in the actinides region as well as the synthesis of heavy elements.

Results based on his postgraduate research work and other collaborative investigations have been pub-lished in various peer review journals, such as Physical Review Letters, Physical Review C, Physical Let-ters B, Euro Physics G including many conference proceeding papers. Over the years, he has also been in-vited to partake in various nuclear physics experiments and gatherings in Europe and Asia. Since he as-sumed his latest position as a lecturer; at UNIZULU in 2012, he has supervised one MSc student (who has since been awarded a prestigious scholarship to study abroad). The quality and impact of his research out-puts over the years were recently acknowledged by the NRF in form of a Y2 rating and invitation to selec-tion panels for rated researchers.

My background on academic work experience:

• Full Professor, University of Zululand, Physics Department (01/01/2022-present)
• Associate Professor, University of Zululand, Physics Department (01/01/2018-31/12/2021)
• Senior Lecturer, University of Zululand, Physics Department (01/01/2014-30/12/2017)
•  Lecturer, University of Zululand, Physics Department (01/04/2012-30/12/2014)
• Accelerator Physicist, National Research Foundation, iThemba LABS (01/09/2008-30/05/2012

Lecture’s the following modules:

4PHY 121, 4PHY 312