2025 Program
“Forum of the African Strategy for Fundamental Physics" by ASFAP Committee
When: Thursday November 20, 2025
16:00 CET (11:00 EDT)
Register Here
(to receive the Zoom link promptly, even without being APS member)
Biographies:
Petra Rudolf - ASFAP Advisory Committee
Prof. Petra Rudolf is a German-Italian physicist and emeritus professor at the University of Groningen, specializing in molecular motors, 2D materials, and organic thin films. She is a strong advocate for women in science, served as President of the European Physical Society, and has received multiple honors, including election to the Academia Europaea and an appointment as Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau by H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
Ulrich Goerlach - ASFAP cross-cutting fields
Prof. Ulrich Goerlach is Professor Emeritus at the Université de Strasbourg and the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC). After earning his PhD in nuclear physics in Göttingen, he worked at CERN and DESY, contributing to major experiments including HELIOS
and CMS at the LHC. e actively supports the African School and Conference on Physics.
Mounia Laassiri - ASFAP Societal engagements
Dr. Mounia Laassiri is a postdoctoral researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the African School of Physics. She holds a Ph.D. from Mohammed V University, Morocco, and promotes physics in Africa and the Arab world through mentoring, outreach, and leadership roles in ASFAP, the African Physics Newsletter, and the Arab Physical Society.
Mirjana Povic - ASFAP particles and applications
Prof. Mirjana Pović (b. 1981, Serbia) is an astrophysicist and educator who has advanced astronomy and science education across Africa, supporting research, training, and outreach. She has been recognized with the 2018 Nature Research Award and other honors for her contributions.
Robinson Juma Musembi - ASFAP light sources and applications
Prof. Robinson J. Musembi is a Professor of Physics at the University of Nairobi, specializing in condensed matter physics, solar energy materials, and computational modeling. A leading figure in energy materials research in Africa, he co-founded the Solar Academy and has published widely on photovoltaic and thermoelectric materials.
Samuel Chigome – ASFAP light sources and applications
Prof. Samuel Chigome is a Senior Researcher at BITRI, Botswana, and President of the African Materials Research Society. He earned his PhD in Chemistry in 2012 and works on electrospinning, turning natural resources into nanomaterials, and water filtration.
Kétévi Assamaga - ASFAP Steering Committee
Prof. Kétévi A. Assamagan is a physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory from Togo, a member of the ATLAS Collaboration involved in the Higgs boson discovery. He co-founded the African School of Physics, promotes diversity in science, and is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, APS, and SAIP. His research focuses on physics beyond the Standard Model.
Abstract:
Scientific and technological achievements have become commonplace. As remarkable as these achievements are for other regions of the world, enormous challenges and opportunities remain to be addressed in Africa. Although vital for development, Africa’s science, innovation, education, and research infrastructure, particularly in fields such as Fundamental and Applied Physics, has been over the years under-valued and under-resourced. The vision is that Africa should take its equal place as a co-leader in the global scientific process, along with all the social-economic benefits thereto. The necessity of initiating the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics (ASFAP) has become essential for Africa, hence our ambition and motivation to jump-start this process.
Website: https://africanphysicsstrategy.org/