HOWZIT WITSIES! DID YOU KNOW Wits has been ranked by ARWU as being in the top 300 universities in the world (joint first in SA), out of a pool of 2,500 global universities? Our August newsletter is full of world-class achievement by Witsies. Please let us know what you’ve been up to – writing a book, climbing a mountain, fighting world hunger –  so that we can brag about you too.

“BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!” WITS BREAKTHROUGH QUANTUM RESEARCH WILL HAVE REVOLUTIONARY IMPACT

“Beam me up, Scotty!” A brave new South African-led study aims to solve exactly the quantum physics challenge that the fictional starship Enterprise’s transporter system is designed to overcome.

Unfortunately, we’re not looking to dematerialize people and put them together again somewhere else, which certainly would be very exciting. What we envisage, however, is far more fundamental: we’re going to show people the future – and unlock South Africa’s development potential.

To make the nascent field of harnessing quantum entanglement viable, we…aim to practically demonstrate an entirely novel way for managing quantum information.

This will have revolutionary implications: with quantum computing, which will be exponentially more powerful than current technology, we will be able to quickly solve very hard problems in fields such as chemistry, pharmacology, logistics, finance and many more.

We will also be able to truly harness artificial intelligence – without the unsustainably huge energy price (environmentally speaking) that we currently pay for it. In quantum communications, it will enable long-distance links, essential for a global quantum network that is fundamentally secure.

Our quantum physics research, which stands to offer manifest benefits for humanity, is generously funded to the tune of R2.5-million by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust through its annual Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award, for which I am the 2024 co-recipient.”

Read more here.

As we feel gratitude for the blessings in our lives, one way to pay it forward is through making an impact in a person’s life that will uplift them, and their familes, for generations to come.
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Three Witsies Make Forbes Africa “30Under30” List

Congratulations to these three Wits trailblazers for leading in music, education, and healthcare – and for inspiring the next generation of African changemakers.

Candice Chirwa (BA 2017, BA Hons 2018, MA 2019) – Founder and Director of Qrate, a nonprofit focused on critical thinking and menstrual education for youth. Candice is a powerful voice for education, gender equity, and youth empowerment. (Pictured above top left corner)

Dr Bradley Max Segal (MBBCh 2021, MSc Eng 2022) – Rhodes Scholar and co-founder of Engage Mx, a healthtech platform improving patient care and supporting frontline healthcare workers through innovative analytics. (Pictured above bottom left corner)

Elaine Mukheli (BA 2021) – Known simply as Elaine, this award-winning R&B singer and songwriter has taken the world by storm with her soulful sound and chart-topping music. She is a true cultural icon representing African excellence in the arts. (Pictured above bottom right corner)

 Full Forbes Africa list here

Wits finds “Holy Grail” of Combatting Rhino Poaching

Scientific innovation offers new weapon against rhino poaching, by making rhino horns detectable and traceable.

The Rhisotope Project aims to create a powerful deterrent for traffickers.

After six years of intensive research and testing, the Rhisotope Project has officially reached operational status – where rhinos will effectively be protected through nuclear technology.

“We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,” says Wits University Professor James Larkin who is also the Chief Scientific Officer of the Rhisotope Project.

Using a technique known as biological dosimetry, researchers cultured blood samples and examined the formation of micronuclei in white blood cells — a proven indicator of cellular damage. No such damage was found in the 20 rhinos during the pilot phase.

“This project exemplifies how nuclear science can be applied in novel ways to address global challenges,” says IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By leveraging existing nuclear security infrastructure, we can help protect one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species.”

Read more here.

Wits Philosopher Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Founded in 1780, the Academy is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It’s both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members, and an independent research centre. Current members represent today’s innovative thinkers in every field and profession, including more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

Election to the Academy is regarded in the USA as a life-time achievement award, similar to the British Royal Society. Around 8000 people are employed teaching philosophy in the USA, out of which eight were elected to the academy this year.

Allais joins 16 other South African members of the Academy including the late Nelson Mandela (elected 2009). She is the fifth South African woman to have been elected to the Academy, the first being Nadine Gordimer in 1980 and, remarkably, only the second South African philosopher since John Niemeyer Findlay in 1975. This therefore makes her the first female South African philosopher to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  A member of the Wits Philosophy Department since 2006, Allais’ research interest include moral emotions such as forgiveness and blame, the German thinker Immanuel Kant, and the nature of human free agency.

Read more here.

Wits in 60 Seconds

Professor Andrew Forbes breaks new ground with a topological approach to quantum communication that could transform computing. Professor Bruce Rubidge unveils the Karoo Origins fossil centre, home to the globally acclaimed Rubidge Collection. The FALF programme marks five years of advancing female academic leadership, and Wits researchers celebrate top honours at the 2025 NRF Awards with prestigious ratings. Prof. Imraan Valodia, the Pro VC for Climate, Sustainability, and Inequality hosted the fourth Inter Faculty Symposium which saw Wits academics, researchers and postgraduate students engage on research and projects that impact on society for good.

Wits Virtual Tour

See Wits University in Action! Want a closer look at life on campus? For a Virtual Tour of Your Old Haunts, Click here.