The National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) is a center of excellence in South Africa that leads research and educational opportunities in theoretical physics. NITheP has regional nodes at Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, and University of KwaZulu-Natal. The institute strives to foster all areas of theoretical physics research and supports associates, students, and early career researchers through funding programs. Over the past decade, NITheP has made significant contributions to human capacity development and the transformation of theoretical physics in South Africa.

2. “The world has changed far
more in the past 100 years
than in any other century in
history. The reason is not
political or economic but
technological - technologies
that flowed directly from
advances in basic science.”
Stephen Hawking

3. “It seemed incredibly exciting to
spend one's life attempting to find
the secrets of the universe by
using one's mind.”
David Gross

4. Our vision
To be Africa's leading and an internationally
competitive research and training institute in
theoretical physics, a discipline that provides the
conceptual framework for the natural sciences.

5. Our mission
To sustain a stimulating theoretical
physics research and user facility
that links South Africa
internationally through excellence
in research and training thereby
supporting scientific innovation,
transformation and socio
economic development in South
Africa.

6. A home for theoretical physics
The National Institute for Theoretical Physics
(NITheP) is managed as a National Research
Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE),
that leads research programmes and educational
opportunities in the field of theoretical physics in
South Africa and Africa.

7. National representation
NITheP is a geographically distributed institute that
includes ALL theoretical physicists in South Africa.
Headquarters:
Stellenbosch Institute for
Advanced Studies (STIAS), at
Stellenbosch University.
Regional nodes:
• University of the Witwatersrand
• University of KwaZulu-Natal

8. RESEARCH

9. Research
• NITheP strives to foster research in all areas of
theoretical physics.
• Beyond the Standard Model
• Open Quantum Systems
• Statistical Physics of Phase Transitions
• Quantum Transport and Mesoscopic Physics
• Our research staff at SU, WITS and UKZN focus
on the broad areas of:

10. Our research network
Category 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Contract 5 4 7 5 5 4
Post doc (internal and external) 10 6 11 17 8 12
Individual associates 46 53 59 63 66 71
Long term visitor 8 7 8 9 13 11
Students supervised (MSc, PhD) 25 38 29 35 36 23
Bursary (MSc, PhD) 44 39 33 23 29 33
Size and shape of the NITheP research network

11. Research outputs: publications
Publication trend for the period 2007 – 2015

12. Research outputs: citations
Citation record for the period 2007 – 2015

13. Research network
Our international collaborative network

14. ASSOCIATES

15. Associate network
NITheP has two types of associates:
• Institutional
for well-constituted groupings at SA tertiary institutions
or national facilities.
• Individual
for individuals at South African tertiary institutions or
national facilities.

16. Associate support
Associates can apply annually for financial
support under the following programmes:
• Workshop
• Short research
• Mobility
• Visitor

17. STUDENTS

18. Student support
These programmes are aimed at researchers and
students to drive research and capacity-building
goals.
• Travel grants
• Internships
• Bursary programme
Attendees of our 2015 bursary holder workshop

19. Bursaries
• NITheP offers bursaries at masters and
doctoral levels for studies in theoretical
physics.
• Bursaries are available at all South
African tertiary institutions.

20. Bursary values
Level Value Term
Hons R50 000 1 year full-time study
MSc R80 000 2 years full-time study
PhD R100 000 3 years full-time study

21. HUMAN CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

22. Human capacity development
NITheP has made a considerable contribution to
human capacity development.
Since inception, NITheP has delivered an impressive:
• 61 MSc students
• 28 PhD students

23. Human capacity development:
postgraduate supervision

24. Human capacity development:
graduation numbers
Number of bursary holders and/or students under
NITheP staff supervision who graduated from
2010 to 2015:

25. Human capacity development
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
South Africa
Other African
International
Total
Student enrolment in NITheP training events

26. TRANSFORMATION

27. Transformation
Transformation of the theoretical physics landscape in
terms of race and gender is a priority of NITheP.

28. Transformation
Demographic profile of bursary holders in MSc programme
44
61
74
60
43
38
64
56
39
26
40
57
62
36
11
19
4
7
21
8
21
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
%
% White % Black % Female

29. Transformation
Demographic profile of bursary holders in PhD programme
41
36
52
62
56
30
18
59
64
48
38
44
70
82
12
0
14 13
19
0
9
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
%
% White % Black % Female

30. Theoretical physics…
as a driver of technological development
Predictions made by theoretical physicists, e.g. the
Standard Model and Gravitational Waves, have often
become the focus of large experimental tests.

31. Theoretical physics…
as a driver of technological development
• World Wide Web (www):
developed at CERN to facilitate
communication and sharing of
data between experimenters.
Experimental efforts have delivered many technological
benefits, most notably:
• LIGO: the most sensitive
seismic instrument ever built;
has many potential applications
to study the geology of earth far
beyond anything previously
available.

32. Direct technological applications
flowing from theoretical physics
Apart from the indirect technological impact of
theoretical physics as a driver of technology,
many more direct technological applications have
benefitted mankind…

33. Direct technological applications
flowing from theoretical physics
• Nuclear energy: uses the equivalence between mass and energy as
predicted by Einstein’s famous formula: E = mc2
• GPS uses general relativity to correct for time differences between
clocks in a gravitational field.
• Transistors, lasers, NMR, CDs, DVDs, SQUIDS: all rely on our
understanding and control of quantum mechanics.
• Quantum technology: a new branch of technology that directly uses
quantum mechanics for computing, secure communication and many
other applications.

34. Socio-economic impact…
of theoretical physicists
With their advanced analytic and numerical skills,
theoretical physicists also contribute in other ways to
the economy:
Software developers
Employed by soft- and hardware
developers such as Google,
Microsoft and Apple.
Quantitative analysts Employed by
banks, fund managers, stockbroker
and consultation firms.
Researchers
Employed by universities,
research facilities and high-tech
companies.
Lecturers and teachers
Universities, colleges and schools.
Entrepreneurs
Own consultation firms for industrial
and financial sectors.

35. https://vimeo.com/171416282

36. Contact us
NITheP: Stellenbosch University
René Kotzé
T: 021 808 2649 | E: renekotze@sun.ac.za
NITheP: University of Witwatersrand
T: 011 717 6838
NITheP: University of KwaZulu-Natal
Nelisiwe Mncube
T: 031 260 7570 | E: mncube@ukzn.ac.za