Prof Dirk de Villiers, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) and SARChI Chair for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), has been appointed Chair of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society’s Technical Committee on Space Applications (TC12). This leadership role places Prof de Villiers at the forefront of global efforts to advance deep space science, Earth and extraterrestrial monitoring, and radio astronomy – fields critical to scientific discovery and technological innovation.
The Technical Directions Committee within the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society is responsible for identifying and promoting new and emerging technologies in the field. As Chair of TC12, Prof de Villiers will help shape the global agenda for space-related research, guide technical sessions at key international symposia and foster collaboration between academia and industry.
Commenting on his appointment, Prof de Villiers said: “It is an honour to be appointed to this global technical leadership role within the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society – especially as someone from South Africa. Africa is generally not well presented in these positions, and this role offers a unique opportunity to build capacity in this important field worldwide, but especially locally, where there is so much potential for growth.”
His appointment reflects international recognition of his expertise, particularly in radio telescope antenna systems. Prof de Villiers is a co-recipient of the IEEE Harold A. Wheeler Applications Prize Paper Award for groundbreaking work on the reflector design of the next-generation ngVLA (Next Generation Very Large Array) in the United States. He is also part of a research team pushing the boundaries of cosmological observation by developing systems capable of detecting the first light emitted by stars in the early Universe.
Through his contributions to the development of antenna systems for some of the world’s most advanced radio telescopes, Prof de Villiers continues to strengthen SU’s role in international research and innovation.
