New Research Chairs at South African university
23 July 2015
Two new Research Chairs have been launched by Stellenbosch University (SU) and
the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
One Chair is in quantum, optical and atomic physics and the other is in artificial
intelligence. The Chairs were launched in Stellenbosch on 20 July during an SU/CSIR
research seminar that focused on particular areas where expertise existed at both
institutions.
The Faculty of Science will host the Chair in Quantum, Optical and Atomic Physics,
while the Department of Information Science in the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences will be home to the Chair in Artificial Intelligence.
Dr Hermann Uys, a physicist at the CSIR and SU, and Prof Arina Britz, the CSIR
Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) representative at its SU node, will
hold the respective Chairs.
Prof Eugene Cloete, the vice-rector of research and innovation at the university,
described the launch
as a celebration of SU's relationship with the CSIR, while Dr
Rachel Chikwamba, the CSIR group executive of strategic alliances and
communication, said "the launch of two Research Chairs is absolutely amazing".
She thanked the university for the partnership and said the council would not be
able to solve everyday problems and develop new knowledge without the support of
universities.
Referring specifically to the Chair in Quantum, Optical and Atomic Physics, Prof
Louise Warnich, dean of the Faculty of Science, said the launch "is quite a moment
for the Faculty of Science, the Department of Physics and SU. In five years' time we
will look back and be quite amazed of what has come of this research chair."
It will allow researchers to focus on the use of single trapped atomic ions for
studying quantum phenomena, and on developing laboratory technologies for the
field of research that can be commercialised.
Highlighting the benefits of the
Chair in Artificial Intelligence for the institutions,
Prof Bruce Watson, the chairperson of the Department of Information Science, said
it would double the department's research capacity and allow for the allocation of
bursaries to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
"It would make it possible to bring more artificial intelligence research into our
courses and would also create a student pipeline for the CSIR in the sense that
students may one day work with or for the CSIR."
Artificial intelligence, he said, was one of the very interesting research areas and
could find application in defence, service delivery, and information and
communications technology.
Stellenbosch University is a partner institution of CAIR, a national collaborative
research network that originated in 2011 as a joint initiative between the CSIR and
the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
It has an active memorandum of understanding in place with the CSIR. This
agreement provides a framework for the establishment of strategic co-operative
project-specific agreements, and for collaboration in selected areas of research,
development and administrative initiatives. It lends itself to collaborative research
activities, staff development and the relevant sharing of facilities and other
resources.
Source: Stellenbosch University
