NRF 25 years: Dr Maluba Vernon Chisapi

This year, the NRF is celebrating a major milestone in our history as we commemorate 25 years of Research, Innovation, Impact and Partnerships. It gives us great joy to share the accomplishments and impact of the many students and researchers we have supported during various stages of their careers. We thank all participants for submitting their stories and hope that you enjoy reading about their journey with the NRF.

Dr Maluba Vernon Chisapi is a lecturer in the Department of Physics of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia. He completed his PhD at NRF-iThemba LABS/Stellenbosch University in 2023.

How did your journey start?

My love for Physics began early on in my high school days at Saint Edmund’s Secondary School in my home town, Mazabuka, in the Southern Province of Zambia. By the time I completed my secondary school education, I had already made up my mind – I was going to pursue a degree in physical sciences. However, I was torn between Physics and Engineering. Well, I knew I loved Physics but not much information was availed to me at the time regarding career prospects in this field, other than becoming a high school teacher and the like. On the other hand, with Engineering, one could already visualise their career trajectory.

Anyhow, I enrolled for my undergraduate degree in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia, and at the time the first year was meant for making points to qualify into a quota of one’s choice. I figured this would give me some time to learn more about career prospects in physics so that I could make an informed decision in the end. Before long I learned about the many branches of physics and existing job prospects therein that I was starting to settle with the idea of becoming a physicist.

In four years I graduated, with Merit, and immediately hit the ground running looking for scholarships to pursue postgraduate studies. I had applied for a few but did not get positive feedback until a year later when I got admission into the AIMS South Africa program. I joined the program in August 2012 and was done in June 2013, being a one-year Master’s in Mathematical Sciences program. I waited for the year to end and at the beginning of 2014 began a two-year MSc program in Nuclear Physics in the Department of Physics, at Stellenbosch University, under the supervision of Prof. R. Newman. I finished the MSc program sometime in March of 2016 and graduated in December of that same year.

By the end of my MSc, my supervisor had introduced me to a few individuals at the University of Cape Town and NRF-iThemba LABS in the hope that I could continue to pursue my PhD in Nuclear Physics. Towards the end of 2017, I started my PhD journey under the supervision of Dr. P. Jones at NRF-iThemba LABS while my MSc supervisor remained my university supervisor.

I completed my PhD at NRF-iThemba LABS/Stellenbosch University in 2023 and I am currently a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Physics in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia.

How has your affiliation with the NRF impacted your studies/career?

I pursued my PhD using funding from the NRF under NRF-iThemba LABS. Apart from financial support, NRF-iThemba LABS provided me with excellent research equipment in the form of detectors, spectrometers, etc. In general, it is an all-around world-class facility for experimental nuclear physics research.

Before completing my MSc at Stellenbosch University, I had come to learn about NRF-iThemba LABS and was interested in pursuing my PhD there. As a matter of fact, I was lucky to have my co-supervisor from the Proton Therapy Group at NRF-iThemba LABS. Initially, I had internal funding from NRF-iThemba LABS itself but it was improved in my second-year of my PhD studies as NRF-iThemba LABS funding became available. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity the NRF accorded me.

While pursuing my PhD at NRF-iThemba LABS, I also had several training opportunities and attended conferences that added to my competencies and skill sets. The experience at NRF-iThemba LABS was great for me and exactly what I wished for, it really cemented my career decision to become an experimental nuclear physicist. Being fully involved at every stage of my research project, be it the development and refurbishment of experimental equipment; setting for experiments; successfully carrying out an experiment and extracting some physics from the experimental data, altogether made me the confident scientist (physicist) that I am today.

I still have strong ties to NRF- iThemba LABS as I wish to continue being a user of this facility, aside from the fact that a number of colleagues and research collaborators are from here.

What is your research focus on/what is your area of expertise?

Currently, I am a lecturer of physics and continue to conduct research in Nuclear Structure, Environmental Radiation Monitoring, Nuclear Energy and the various applications of Nuclear Science and technology.

At my university, I teach both undergraduate and postgraduate physics courses as well as supervise students working on research projects. In particular, I conduct research in gamma spectroscopy and electric monopole transitions in nuclei as these are linked to the evolution of nuclear shape, hence giving additional spectroscopic information on the behaviour of nuclei.

I also have over five years of learning and using the Geant4 simulation toolkit, a package used to simulate the interaction of radiation or particles with matter. It is my wish that I can continue to offer Geant4 training, especially to students beginning their research projects at the lab.

Why is your work/studies important?

No doubt nuclear science and technology have many applications in everyday life, apart from being the means through which humankind continues to study and understand the Universe.

The development of modern-day experimental equipment (such as the electron spectrometer refurbished in my PhD research project) is essential as it will enable scientists to carry out groundbreaking research. The trickle-down effect is advances in technology and, in return, availing solutions to solving the many problems that the world faces today, be it cancer treatment, communication, energy, climate change, etc.

Regarding environmental radiation monitoring, there are various parts of African countries where environmental radiation levels are yet to be determined, thereby putting communities at risk of exposure to naturally occurring radiation. My research will continue to provide some of the answers to these problems. 

What are some of your proudest academic achievements?

I am proud of my PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics and all my preceding qualifications. Along the way, I continue to acquire certificates and awards for participating in activities such as hackathons, conferences, workshops and competitions. I am also proud of the many publications that I have co-authored and I am excited to continue on this journey.

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