Society Rising Star Africa Prize Lecture: Astronomy and astrophysics as development drivers in Afric
Schedule
Wed Mar 04 2026 at 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm
UTC+00:00Location
6-9 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y5 London, United Kingdom | London, EN
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Professor James Okwe Chibueze, winner of the Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize, will deliver his prize lecture on 4 March 2026, at the Royal Society in London, at 6.30pm.The Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize is awarded to early-career research scientists based in Africa who are making an innovative contribution to the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences.
Professor James Okwe Chibueze is recognised with the Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize for his work on advancing African astronomy through pioneering research, capacity building, and international collaborations. He is a Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics at the University of South Africa and Head of the UNISA Centre for Astrophysics and Space Sciences.
Facilities such as the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the MeerKAT telescope, and the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and many other initiatives including the African VLBI Network (AVN) and the Africa Millimetre Telescope (AMT), have changed the astronomy landscape of the African continent in the last two decades.
In this lecture, Professor Chibueze will consider two key questions related to astronomy in Africa: Are Africans truly participating in the co-creation of knowledge using these astronomy facilities or merely hosting them? Is astronomy being used as a lever to drive any form of development on the African continent?
Professor Chibueze will also unveil some significant astronomy knowledge contributions from the African continent. Finally, he will explore how astronomy and astrophysics serve as development drivers in Africa.
This lecture is free to attend. Registration is recommended if attending in person, otherwise availability cannot be guaranteed. Doors will open to the public at 6.00pm.
The lecture will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society website and on the Royal Society YouTube channel.
Find out more:
https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2026/03/rising-star-africa-prize-lecture/
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Where is it happening?
6-9 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y5 London, United Kingdom, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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