AIMS South Africa Newsleter January 2026

[African Institute for Mathematical Sciences]

AIMS South Africa Partners with FATE Foundation and with Google.org’s Support to Launch Advanced AI Upskilling Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa    AIMS South Africa is pleased to showcase our major multi-country partnership with the FATE Foundation, supported by Google.org, to launch the Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Upskilling Programme across Sub-Saharan Africa.    This funding, aligning with Google.org’s focus on Knowledge, Skills and Learning, will support the launch of the Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Upskilling Programme. The initiative is designed to build a sustainable and scalable ecosystem for advanced AI education     across Higher Educational Institutions in four key countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.    Over the next three years, the Advanced AI Upskilling Programme aims to equip over 30,900 students with advanced AI skills, empowering them to drive technological innovation across the continent. This will be achieved by supporting Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) through sub-grants and utilizing a Train-the-Trainer model.    Read more       Welcoming the January 2026 Intake       The onboarding week for this intake of 19 students (13 women) from 5 African countries was filled with activity and connection, as new students were welcomed into campus life through a programme organised by the AIMS Student Social Clubs.     The week featured a range of events, including welcome ceremonies, the Tag Game, African Story Night, and the Muizenberg Walk, alongside informal moments of students settling in and getting to know one another. Together, these activities created a lively and supportive start to the academic year, helping to build community and set the tone for the months ahead.    AIMS South Africa also welcomed 4 students (3 women) on the Biomaths Honours programme.       2026 Africa Scientifique Programme Kicks Off at AIMS South Africa: Building Leadership, Knowledge and Skills for Afrocentric Science Communication       The 2026 three-phased Africa Scientifique programme has kicked off at AIMS South Africa, continuing its mission to equip young and emerging scholars and researchers in the mathematical sciences with critical and transferable skills that are often lacking in formal university STEM training.     These skills not only enhance the career advancement of STEM scholars and researchers but also ensure that their research benefits broader communities through diverse platforms and tools, addresses community issues, and contributes to Africa’s development.     Central to the programme is an Afrocentric approach that values indigenous knowledge and promotes two-way engagement between scientists and society. Additionally, the programme emphasises the importance of career readiness in an era of rapid technological change, highlighting communication and leadership skills as essential, not optional, for the next generation of scientists.    Read more       Mathematics in Industry Study Group (MISG) 2026       From 7 to 16 January 2026, five students from the Mathematical Sciences cohort, Lavender Ayako, Ngabigala Samweli Eliya, Mannondé Gbaguidi, Vanessa Kouam Kenmogne, and Angela Fosu, participated in the Mathematics in Industry Study Group (MISG) 2026, hosted at the University of the Witwatersrand.    The programme combined a preparatory Graduate Modelling Camp (7–10 January) with the main MISG event (12–16 January), offering an intensive introduction to industrial modelling and applied research.    Read more       Research Visit: Computer Vision for Ecology       Dr Lorène Jeantet, a member of the Machine Learning for Ecology Research Group, recently visited the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Virginia, USA, where she attended the CV4Ecology Workshop as an observer. The workshop, led by Dr Sara Beery (Assistant Professor at MIT EECS) and Dr Eric Orenstein (Senior Research Scientist at the UK National Oceanography Centre), aims to train ecologists in the use of computer vision tools for biodiversity research.    The purpose of this visit was to gain in-depth insight into the workshop while strengthening collaborations with MIT and the National Oceanography Centre, and to explore the possibility of replicating this training initiative in South Africa and more broadly across Africa.     This travel was made possible through the support of the MIT-Africa Seed Fund grant.    PhD Defence: Wind Power Prediction with HCNNs       Mr Rockefeller successfully defended his PhD at Stellenbosch University on 29 January 2026. His doctoral research, titled Wind Power Prediction with Historically Consistent Neural Networks (HCNNs), focused on improving  renewable energy forecasting to support stable and sustainable power grids.    The work explored HCNN-based approaches that better capture the physical structure and long-term dynamics of wind behaviour, addressing limitations in conventional Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) methods. Using South African wind data, the research produced highly accurate forecasts that account for the wind’s natural variability. These results have practical relevance for improving wind-turbine operations, grid stability, and both short- and long-term planning.     Rockefeller was a PhD student in the AIMS Research Centre and was supervised by Dr Bubacarr Bah, Dr Hans-Georg Zimmermann and Prof. Vukosi Marivate.    AIMS Seminar    On 15 January 2026, Prof. Martin Weigt from Nelson Mandela University presented a seminar titled ‘On C-Algebras and C*-Nuclear Pairs*’. The talk introduced C*-algebras as norm-closed -subalgebras of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space, outlined their origins in the 1940s work of I.M. Gelfand and M.A. Neumark, and highlighted their significance in modern mathematics and applications such as quantum mechanics. Professor Weigt also discussed nuclear C-algebras and C*-nuclear pairs, connecting these concepts to a major open problem in operator algebras that is believed to have been recently resolved in the negative, with the presentation accessible to attendees with basic knowledge of Hilbert spaces and abstract algebra. Students updates AIMS students are taught by an international group of lecturers from leading academic and industry institutions. In the Mathematical Sciences stream, Dr Jacques Rabie (AIMS South Africa) taught Mathematical Problem-Solving, Dr Georg Anegg (ETH Zurich) taught Introduction to Programming using Python, and review courses were delivered by Prof. Richard Katz (University of Oxford) on Fluid Dynamics and Prof. Patrick Dorey (Durham University) on Solitons. Jacques Rabie    Georg Anegg    Richard Katz    Patrick Dorey The AI for Science stream featured CUDA Programming for NVIDIA GPUs by Prof. Mike Giles (University of Oxford), Introduction to Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) by Prof. Inga Strümke (NTNU), and Neuroscience and AI taught jointly by Dr Christopher Currin (inait.ai) and Dr James Ferguson (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), with Dr Ferguson joining on-site in Week 2.    AIMS extends its sincere thanks to all the lecturers for their time, expertise, and commitment to delivering a rich and rigorous learning experience for our students.       Mike Giles       Inga Strümke       Christopher Currin and James Ferguson    Equipping Students for Success       Students from the September intake  received their Dell laptops, with 47 of the 56 students now equipped with essential computing resources to support their studies. The laptops were provided through sponsorship and subsidy support, with Structured Master’s students supported by the MasterCard Foundation and AI for Science students supported by Google DeepMind. Access to reliable personal computing is a critical enabler of learning, research, and collaboration, and AIMS extends its sincere thanks to both partners for their continued support in enabling students to fully engage in the Institute’s academically rigorous programmes.    Inspiring Future Scientists       AIMS South Africa recently visited Crestway High School, where a day of celebration, inspiration, and scientific exploration highlighted the power of partnerships in strengthening science education in township schools.    A key highlight of the visit was the presence of Prof. Farid Ould-Saada, a visiting guest at AIMS South Africa, who     shared his personal journey of becoming a physicist. Through his lived experiences, learners were able to see pathways into science careers that are often perceived as distant or unattainable. His engagement reinforced the importance of representation and storytelling in shaping learners’ academic aspirations. Read more    Cultivating Collaboration: Reflections from the EASA 2026 Conference       At the start of 2026, Dr Tejumade V Ogundipe, AIMSSEC, reflected on her participation in the EASA 2026 Conference, highlighting the power of collaboration, leadership, and purposeful engagement in higher education. In this piece, she shares insights from her conference experience, including a collaborative presentation on integrating emerging technologies into teaching and learning, and reflects on how the conversations and connections at EASA helped set the tone for the year ahead.    Read more    ANNOUNCEMENTS    Academic Director (Mathematical Sciences)       AIMS South Africa is seeking an Academic Director (Mathematical Sciences) to join its academic leadership team. This is a senior academic leadership position with substantial responsibility for shaping graduate-level mathematical sciences education at one of Africa’s leading scientific institutions.  The role combines strategic academic leadership, curriculum oversight, research engagement, and operational responsibility within a highly collaborative and international environment.       We are looking for someone who:   •       Holds a PhD in the mathematical sciences  •       Has substantial teaching experience at graduate and postgraduate level  •       Thinks actively and strategically about advancing graduate mathematical education in Africa  •       Maintains an active and credible research profile  •       Can lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse academic community  •       Enjoys working closely with students, teaching assistants, and visiting lecturers in a residential academic setting  •       Can design and build innovative, high-quality academic training programmes  •       University experience at the level of Associate Professor or equivalent would be a strong asset.   •       International and African diaspora candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.    The closing date for applications is 28 February 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.    For more information and to apply please click the button below.    Apply    Applications for the AIMS South Africa Master’s in Mathematical Sciences (2026/27) are open!       Full scholarships, world-class lecturers, 24/7 labs & a vibrant pan-African community. Apply: https://apply.aims-network.org/ Deadline: 15 March 2026          Apply       Apply for the AI for Science (2026–7) Master’s at AIMS South Africa!       40 fully funded Google DeepMind scholarships available.  Round 1 Deadline: 6 March 2026 Apply: https://ai.aims.ac.za          Apply