Local Astrophysicist awarded research grant by the African Astronomical Society – Only two grants offered to African applicants
Local female astrophysicist, Hambeleleni Davids has been awarded a research grant by the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). Only two grants were awarded to outstanding applicants from African countries.
Davids is a Physics lecturer at the School of Science at the University of Namibian and is destined to graduate with a PHD in Space Physics from North West University, Potchefstroom in August this year.
The seed funding may be used for international or domestic travel, lodging, computer equipment and other research related expenses.
Her work is on modeling globular cluster, a spherical collection of millions of starts bound by gravity as diffuse emitters of multi-wavelength electromagnetic radiation. This sources are home to many millisecond pulsar, which emit very high energy gamma-rays that are observed by Cherenkov telescopes like the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S).
Davids studied the detectability of Galactic globular clusters by H.E.S.S and her calculations serve as a guide for observations of globular clusters by H.E.S.S and the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).
The AfAS Seed Grant supports research projects in Astronomy including Astrophysics and Space Science conducted by postgraduate students and or early career researchers based in Africa.
