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.

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African Physics Newsletter: January 2024

African Physics Newsletter

What’s New in This Issue of the Newsletter?

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."

Read the full January 2024 issue (PDF)

October 2023 Issue

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.

Read the October 2023 issue (PDF)

The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the African Physics Newsletter are not peer reviewed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of APS.

 

Background 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.

About APN Editor-in-Chief Stéphane Kenmoe, PhD

Stephane KenmoeKenmoe 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. As the driving force behind the Central African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications, Kenmoe is involved in fostering scientific connections and bridging the gap between science and society. Beyond academia, he is a science popularizer on TV and social media, a film producer, and a versatile writer, contributing to both scientific literature and fiction.

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.

Read the full article

APN Editorial Board

The APN editorial board members consist of African physicists serving as professors, researchers, lecturers, and physics community leaders.

  • Moses Jojo Eghan, editor, provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
  • Haddou El Ghazi, editor, professor, Université Hassan II, Morocco
  • Mohamed Abdel Harith, editor, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science (NILES), Cairo University, Egypt
  • Omamuyovwi Rita Jolayemi, junior editor, lecturer, Covenant University, Nigeria
  • Stéphane Kenmoe, editor-in-chief, researcher, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany
  • Mounia Laassiri, researcher, junior editor, Helsinki Institute of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Raïssa Malu, editor, director, Investing in People, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Winfred Mueni Mulwa, editor, researcher, Egerton University, Kenya
  • Robinson Juma Musembi, editor, associate professor, University of Nairobi, Kenya
  • Lat Grand Ndiaye, editor, University Assane Seck, Senegal
  • Iyabo Usman, editor, professor, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Dr. Joyful Mdhluli, editor, Fellow, IAU Office of Astronomy for Development

Advisory Board

The APN advisory board members have served at universities and laboratories around the world.

  • Kétévi Assamagan, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA
  • Nithaya Chetty, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
  • Igle Gledhill, advisory board chair, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA
  • James E. Gubernatis, immediate past advisory board chair, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA
  • Sekazi K. Mtingwa, Triangle Science, Education & Economic Development LLC, USA
  • Joseph Niemela, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy
  • Daniel Nyanganyura, African Science, Technology, and Policy Institute, South Africa
  • Ahmadou Wagué, Dakar Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal

More Information

Read Past Issues

Review previous issues of the newsletter, going back to February 2019.

Browse past issues

APN's First Anniversary

From APS News: The African Physics Newsletter Celebrates Its First Anniversary.

Read about APN's inception

The Physics in Africa Project

From APS News: Physics in Africa: An APS Project Poised for Impact

Discover the collaboration to promote physics in Africa