African Physics Newsletter
The African Physics Newsletter (APN) is a quarterly, electronic publication about physics in Africa as gathered and reported by an Editorial Board of African physicists representing various regions of the continent. APS has published the newsletter, which launched in 2019, since its inception.
The newsletter is available free of charge and open to all.
The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the African Physics Newsletter are not peer reviewed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of APS.
July 2024 issue
In this issue of the African Physics Newsletter, learn more about the African Astronomical Society, celebrate the success of Science and Technology Week, discover the African Physics Leaders Summit, and more.
Recent issues
Read about the achievements, research, career journeys, and more of physicists living and working across African and beyond.
In this issue of the African Physics Newsletter, discover research on the East African Nubian Shield's potential for gold mineralization, Morocco's strategic approaches to energy transition, the career journey of a Kenyan physicist, and more.
From Editor Stéphane Kenmoe: "In this issue, we bring you the latest developments in the physical sciences within Africa and the Diaspora. The news is marked by major capacity-building and networking events, honors for development actors, and breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields. This issue is a tribune of opportunity, visions, and scientific strategies for sustainable development grounded in physics, with the aim of inspiring research and exemplary leadership."
Discover perspectives and updates from physicists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Egypt, Somalia, and more, and read discussions on the African School of Physics, Genius in Africa, and the Women in Nuclear Global Excellence Award. This issue also includes an interview with Nature Africa, information about research collaboratives in solar energy, and more.
Past issues
Review previous issues of the newsletter, going back to February 2019.
About the African Physics Newsletter
The newsletter was created in response to physicists and physics institutions across the continent who expressed an interest in a Pan-African physics communication vehicle to foster connections among physicists residing in Africa, diaspora communities and the broader physics community. Surveys conducted by the Physics in Africa project—an undertaking of APS, UK Institute of Physics, European Physical Society, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, and South African Institute of Physics—revealed this need as gaps in communication can often exist among these communities.
Meet APN Editor-in-Chief Stéphane Kenmoe, PhD
Kenmoe is a researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He earned a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research in Germany (2015). Kenmoe earned his postgraduate diploma in condensed matter from the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2011 and a master's degree from the University of Dschang in Cameroon in 2009. Dedicated to advancing the careers of early-career African scientists, he actively engages in networking initiatives and promotes knowledge transfer to Africa.
APN Editor-in-Chief featured in Nature Reviews Physics
Stéphane Kenmoe, editor-in-chief, sits down with Nature Reviews Physics for a Q&A about the ways that APN is bringing together physicists in Africa and from the African diaspora while showcasing African physics worldwide.
APN Editorial Board
The APN editorial board members consist of African physicists serving as professors, researchers, lecturers, and physics community leaders.
Haddou El Ghazi
El Ghazi leads a research group at ENSAM Laboratory, focusing on low-dimensional III-nitride semiconductors for solar cells and LASER biomedical applications.
Mohamed Abdel-Harith
Abdel-Harith is a professor at the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science (NILES), Cairo University, Egypt.
Omamuyovwi Rita Jolayemi
Currently a lecturer at Covenant University, Jolayemi actively engages in screening materials for thermoelectric applications.
Mounia Laassiri
Laassiri is a nuclear physicist and postdoc researcher at the Helsinki Institute of Physics, specializing in PGET devices utilizing advanced 3D position-sensitive semiconductor gamma ray detectors.
Raïssa Malu
Malu is a physicist by training, author-publisher, and promoter of Science and Technology Week in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR).
Winfred Mueni Mulwa
Mulwa has served as a principal investigator at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in South Africa since 2018.
Robinson Musembi
Musembi is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi's department of physics, focusing on condensed matter physics.
Iyabo Usman
Usman's research encompasses experimental nuclear structure physics, environmental radiation physics, nuclear materials, and nuclear security and forensics.
APN Advisory Board
The APN advisory board members have served at universities and laboratories around the world.
Kétévi A. Assamagan
Assamagan, a physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), originally from Togo, is known for his significant contributions to the ATLAS Experiment.
Irvy (Igle) Gledhill
Igle Gledhill, a visiting adjunct professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, boasts a distinguished career in fluid dynamics spanning 30 years at the CSIR.
James E. Gubernatis
Gubernatis's research encompassed diverse areas, including nondestructive evaluation, quantum Monte Carlo methods, and the application of machine learning for materials discovery.
Sekazi Kauze Mtingwa
Mtingwa, a principal partner at TriSEED Consultants, LLC and administrative judge at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is a distinguished physicist and advocate for STEM opportunities.
Joseph Niemela
Niemela served as a key staff member at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, from 2003 to 2016, where he headed various impactful initiatives.
Daniel Nyanganyura
Daniel Nyanganyura is an accomplished atmospheric physicist specializing in boundary layer physics and air pollutants transport modeling.
Ahmadou Wagué
Ahmadou Wagué works at Dakar Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal, and serves on the African Physics Newsletter Advisory Board.