Simon Connell

Last updated
Professor
Simon Connell
FAAS
Born
Simon Henry Connell
Education University of the Witwatersrand (BSc, PhD)
AwardsBritish Association Medal (Silver), (1994)
Innovation and Research, NSTF (2022)
Scientific career
Fields
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Particle Physics
  • Diamond Physics
  • Quantum Physics
  • Engineering Physics
  • Instruments & Instrumentation
Institutions University of Johannesburg
ATLAS experiment, CERN
African Light Source Foundation
University of the Witwatersrand

Simon Henry Connell is a professor of physics at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He is an engineering physicist, a Founding Member of the South African participation in the ATLAS Experiment at CERN, and the Chair of the African Light Source (AfLS) Foundation.

Contents

Career

Simon Henry Connell [1] obtained his Bachelors' degree and PhD (1985 - 1989) in Physics from the University of the Witwatersrand. [2] He continued to work at the University of the Witwatersrand until 2008, when he moved to University of Johannesburg. [2] He is a professor of physics at the University of Johannesburg. [3] [4] He is an engineering physicist [5] who previously worked extensively at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). [6] He is affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Science. [7] Connell is a Founding Member of the South African participation in the ATLAS Experiment at CERN. [8] Additionally, he served as the President of the South African Institute of Physics. [6]

Research and projects

According to the South African National Research Foundation, he is highly regarded and acknowledged internationally for his accomplishments. [9] As of June 2023, he has an h-index of 141 on Google Scholar. [10] Connell has research interests in various areas including Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Quantum Physics, High-Performance Computing, and Applied Nuclear Physics. [6]

Furthermore, he has been involved in engineering and technical activities related to the Beyond Standard Model search at CERN, which is focused on High Energy Physics. [11] Together with his group, he is involved in the searching for particles related to dark matter, presenting two potential dark vector boson candidates. Their primary objective is to identify additional candidates that could lead to a groundbreaking discovery or alternatively explain these events as background processes. [6] His research also focuses on the development of a gamma ray laser using a specially fabricated diamond superlattice as a crystalline undulator as part of the EU-PEARL. [6]

As the leader of the Mining Positron Emission Technology (MinPET) Research Group, Connell has successfully demonstrated the ability to detect diamonds within kimberlite at a statistically significant level. [7] Moreover, he has utilised high-rate, high-sensitivity detectors developed for this project to investigate fluid-flow in hydro-cyclones. Connell is also engaged in an inter-departmental collaboration to build the national case for South African Advanced High-Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors. His particular interest lies in combining Monte Carlo among other methods with advanced computing solutions to model neutrons in the nuclear reactor core. [12]

African Light Source

Connell is actively involved in the African Light Source (AfLS) project [13] as the AfLS Foundation's Chair. [14] Connell has contributed to the development and promotion of the AfLS, advocating for the establishment of this facility in Africa. [15] He has co-authored papers and articles discussing the importance and potential impact of the African Light Source. [15] [16] In addition, Simon Connell has given presentations and talks about the African Light Source project. [12] [17] The African Light Source is an initiative aimed at establishing Africa's first synchrotron light source, a particle accelerator that produces intense radiation used for studying the structure and behavior of matter. [3] [18] The project aims to bridge the gap in synchrotron light source capabilities on the continent, as Africa currently lacks such a facility. [19] By establishing the African Light Source, African scientists would have access to a powerful tool for conducting cutting-edge research in various scientific disciplines. [19] The project has gained momentum and support from the scientific community. [20] [12]

Awards and honours

Connell was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa in 2006, a Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2018. [21] Connel received the British Association Medal (Silver) from the South Africa Association of the Advancement of Science () in 1994, [22] and the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)'s Awards for Innovation and Research and/or Development: Corporate Organisation in 2022 for leading the MinPET project. [7]

In 2025, Connell received the John Wheatley Award with Gihan Kamel and Sekazi Mtingwa. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CERN</span> European research centre in Switzerland

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Geneva, on the France–Switzerland border. It comprises 24 member states. Israel, admitted in 2013, is the only full member geographically out of Europe. CERN is an official United Nations General Assembly observer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DESY</span> German national research center

DESY, short for Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, is a national research centre for fundamental science located in Hamburg and Zeuthen near Berlin in Germany. It operates particle accelerators used to investigate the structure, dynamics and function of matter, and conducts a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary scientific research in four main areas: particle and high energy physics; photon science; astroparticle physics; and the development, construction and operation of particle accelerators. Its name refers to its first project, an electron synchrotron. DESY is publicly financed by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal States of Hamburg and Brandenburg and is a member of the Helmholtz Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Light Source</span> UKs national synchrotron science facility located in Oxfordshire

Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron light source science facility located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

ISABELLE was a 200+200 GeV proton–proton colliding beam particle accelerator partially built by the United States government at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, before it was cancelled in July, 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synchrotron</span> Type of cyclic particle accelerator

A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator, descended from the cyclotron, in which the accelerating particle beam travels around a fixed closed-loop path. The strength of the magnetic field which bends the particle beam into its closed path increases with time during the accelerating process, being synchronized to the increasing kinetic energy of the particles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Synchrotron Radiation Facility</span> Particle accelerator

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is a joint research facility situated in Grenoble, France, supported by 22 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education</span> Research institute at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY

The Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based ScienceS and Education (CLASSE) is a particle accelerator facility located in Wilson Laboratory on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. CLASSE was formed by merging the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) and the Laboratory for Elementary-Particle Physics (LEPP) in July 2006. Nigel Lockyer is the Director of CLASSE in spring of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East</span>

The Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) is an independent laboratory located in Allan in the Balqa governorate of Jordan, created under the auspices of UNESCO on 30 May 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolf-Dieter Heuer</span> German particle physicist

Rolf-Dieter Heuer is a German particle physicist. From 2009 to 2015 he was Director General of CERN and from 5 April 2016 to 9 April 2018 President of the German Physical Society. Since 2015 he has been Chair of the European Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, and since May 2017 he has been President of the SESAME Council.

Bjørn Håvard Wiik was a Norwegian elementary particle physicist, notable for his role in the experiment that produced the first experimental evidence for gluons and for his influential role on later accelerator projects. Wiik was director of DESY, in Hamburg, Germany, from 1993 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Particle accelerator</span> Research apparatus for particle physics

A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies to contain them in well-defined beams. Small accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle physics. Accelerators are also used as synchrotron light sources for the study of condensed matter physics. Smaller particle accelerators are used in a wide variety of applications, including particle therapy for oncological purposes, radioisotope production for medical diagnostics, ion implanters for the manufacturing of semiconductors, and accelerator mass spectrometers for measurements of rare isotopes such as radiocarbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Centre for Physics</span> Pakistans federally-funded research institute and national laboratory

The National Centre for Physics is a federally funded research institute and national laboratory co-located near Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan

Hafeez Hoorani or Hafeez-ur-Rehman Hoorani or Hafeez R. Hoorani is a Pakistani particle physicist, with a specialisation in accelerator physics, and a research scientist at the CERN. Hoorani is working at the National Center for Physics, with research focus in elementary particle physics and high energy physics. Until the end of 2013, he served as scientific director of International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) and is now research associate at the National Center for Nuclear Physics, Islamabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Astbury</span> Canadian physicist

Alan Astbury (1934–2014) was a Canadian physicist, emeritus professor at the University of Victoria, and director of the Tri-Universities Meson Facility (TRIUMF) laboratory.

Peter Ignaz Paul Kalmus, is a British particle physicist, and emeritus professor of physics at Queen Mary, University of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinod Chohan</span> Tanzanian-born engineer (1949–2017)

Vinod Chandrasinh Chohan was a Tanzanian-born accelerator specialist and engineer. He was a Senior Staff Member at CERN for nearly 40 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sekazi Mtingwa</span> American theoretical high-energy physicist (born 1949)

Sekazi Kauze Mtingwa: is an American theoretical high-energy physicist. He is a co-recipient of the 2017 Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators. He is the first African-American to be awarded the prize. Mtingwa was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2008 for "his definitive treatment of Intrabeam scattering, his contributions to the wakefield acceleration, and his early recognition of the fixed target physics potential of the next generation electron-positron collider." He also co-founded the National Society of Black Physicists in 1977 and served in various other national and international initiatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gihan Kamel</span> Egyptian physicist

Gihan Kamel is an Egyptian physicist known for her work as an Infrared Beamline Scientist in the Synchrotron-light project for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME). She lives in Jordan.

The African Light Source (AfLS) – as of May 2024 – is the initiative to build the first Pan-African synchrotron light source. The initiative is currently led – separately – by the African Light Source Foundation and the Africa Synchrotron Initiative (ASI). The aim of this initiative is to establish an advanced synchrotron light source on the African continent, generating intense beams of X-rays, ultraviolet, and infrared light for scientific research and innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faïrouz Malek</span> Algerian particle physicist

Faïrouz Malek is a French and Algerian physicist specializing in nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. A research scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, she is involved in international research at the CERN LHC. She has contributed to the discovery of the Higgs boson. She is also known for her commitment to gender parity in science, as well as to the development of science in Africa. She is fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. She is the niece of Algerian composer Ahmed Malek.

References

  1. ↑ "Patents Assigned to University of Johannesburg - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  2. 1 2 "INSPIRE". inspirehep.net. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  3. 1 2 Wild, Sarah (2021-10-27). "Plan for Africa's first synchrotron light source starts to crystallize". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02938-0. PMID   34707279. S2CID   240072809.
  4. ↑ Nordling, Linda (2023-04-27). "New director named for iThemba Labs". Research Professional News. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  5. ↑ Meet Engineering Physicist, Prof Simon Connell - Innovation Award: Corporate Organisation Winner , retrieved 2023-06-05
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Prof Simon Connell". University of Johannesburg. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  7. 1 2 3 "NSTF-South32 Awards 2022". The Mail & Guardian. 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  8. ↑ Campbell, Rebecca (2018-09-03). "World's most powerful particle accelerator benefits from South African computing expertise". Engineering News.
  9. ↑ "Connell | African Scientists Directory Connell". African Scientists Directory. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  10. ↑ "Simon Connell". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  11. ↑ Chetty, Nithaya; Connell, Simon; Bawa, Ahmed C. (2007). "Physics for development". Nature Physics. 3 (11): 747. Bibcode:2007NatPh...3..747C. doi:10.1038/nphys773. ISSN   1745-2473.
  12. 1 2 3 "Momentum grows for the African Light Source". American Physical Society. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  13. ↑ myadmin (2019-01-30). "Ghana to champion African Light Source – Akufo-Addo". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  14. ↑ "AfLS Executive Committee". The African Lightsource. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  15. 1 2 Newton, Marcus C.; Connell, Simon H.; Mitchell, Edward P.; Mtingwa, Sekazi K.; Ngabonziza, Prosper; Norris, Lawrence; Ntsoane, Tshepo; Traore, Daouda A. K. (February 2023). "Building a brighter future for Africa with the African Light Source". Nature Reviews Physics. 5 (2): 74–75. Bibcode:2023NatRP...5...74N. doi:10.1038/s42254-022-00534-3. ISSN   2522-5820. PMC   9580420 . PMID   36275781.
  16. ↑ Connell, Simon H.; Mtingwa, Sekazi K.; Dobbins, Tabbetha; Khumbah, Nkem; Masara, Brian; Mitchell, Edward P.; Norris, Lawrence; Ngabonziza, Prosper; Ntsoane, Tshepo; Winick, Herman (August 2019). "Towards an African Light Source". Biophysical Reviews. 11 (4): 499–507. doi:10.1007/s12551-019-00578-3. ISSN   1867-2450. PMC   6682199 . PMID   31301018.
  17. ↑ Dr Simon Connell - Status and Future of the African Light Source , retrieved 2023-06-05
  18. ↑ Newton, Marcus C.; Connell, Simon H.; Mitchell, Edward P.; Mtingwa, Sekazi K.; Ngabonziza, Prosper; Norris, Lawrence; Ntsoane, Tshepo; Traore, Daouda A. K. (2023-02-01). "Building a brighter future for Africa with the African Light Source". Nature Reviews Physics. 5 (2): 74–75. Bibcode:2023NatRP...5...74N. doi:10.1038/s42254-022-00534-3. ISSN   2522-5820. PMC   9580420 . PMID   36275781.
  19. 1 2 "Africa accelerator, racial-bias fears and UK science budget". Nature. 599 (7883): 13. 2021-11-03. Bibcode:2021Natur.599...13.. doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02994-6 . S2CID   242947963.
  20. ↑ "African Light Source aims for science with ubuntu". Research Europe. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  21. ↑ "Connell, Simon". African Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  22. ↑ "British Association Medal (Silver)". s2a3.org.za. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  23. ↑ "Gihan Kamel awarded the John Wheatley Award 2025". www.sesame.org.jo. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
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