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Prof
Ntshangase, Sifiso Senzo
Department: Physics
Research Interest(s): Nuclear Physics (Nuclear structure and environmental applied nuclear physics).
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 received 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 electromagnetic 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 assembly 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 Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, Russia. Currently, his research focuses on the evolution of exotic shapes in the actinide region as well as the synthesis of heavy elements. Results based on his postgraduate research work and other collaborative investigations have been published in various peer-reviewed journals, such as Physical Review Letters, Physical Review C, Physical Letters B, Euro Physics G including many conference proceeding papers. Over the years, he has also been invited to partake in various nuclear physics experiments and gatherings in Europe and Asia. Since he assumed 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 outputs over the years were recently acknowledged by the NRF in the form of a Y2 rating and invitation to selection panels for rated researchers.