Apart from his work in astronomy, prof. Justin Jonas also acted as technical advisor for the national ventilator project during the covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: Provided/UP)
The University of Pretoria awarded an honorary doctorate to prof. Awarded to Justin Jonas for his contribution to radio astronomy and his role in promoting South Africa’s international standing in scientific and engineering research.
Jonas is one of the key figures behind the development of the MeerKAT radio telescope and the Square Kilometer Array project (SKA), the largest radio astronomy network ever built. Over four decades, his work has contributed to the expansion of South Africa’s capabilities in radio astronomy, as well as the development of local engineering expertise and scientific collaboration.
Prof. Wynand Steyn, dean of the UP’s faculty of engineering, the built environment and information technology, says that South Africa has become a world leader in engineering for radio astronomy under Jonas’ leadership.
“Under his decades-long leadership, South Africa has become a world leader in engineering for radio astronomy that extends beyond MeerKAT and SKA, and made important contributions to projects such as the Event Horizon Telescope, which captured the first image of a black vortex (also known as a gravitational vortex) in 2019,” said Steyn.
Jonas served as chief technologist of MeerKAT and was closely involved in the development of the telescope’s scientific objectives, design and implementation engineering. The MeerKAT team received the Royal Astronomical Society’s Group Achievement Award in 2023.
Prof. Justin Jonas. (Photo: Provided/UP)
According to Steyn, Jonas also played an important role in the development of human resources in the engineering and science sector.
“Through the scholarship and grant programs he helped establish, our department now contributes to various radio astronomy projects worldwide,” said Steyn.
Jonas is currently director of the Center for Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies at Rhodes University. He obtained all his degrees at Rhodes and in 1999 received a doctorate in radio astronomy.
He said the honorary doctorate emphasized the collaborative nature of large-scale scientific projects.
“It has been a privilege to work with highly skilled scientists, engineers, students and industry partners over many years on projects that have expanded scientific knowledge as well as South Africa’s technical capability,” Jonas said.
Apart from his work in astronomy, Jonas also acted as a technical advisor for the national ventilator project during the covid-19 pandemic.