I am an Astronomy Support Specialist at the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of Astronomy. Alongside my professional role, I am currently pursuing my PhD at UCT, focusing on the intersection of radio astronomy, high-performance computing, and machine learning.

My journey began with a BSc (Cum Laude) from the University of Limpopo, followed by an Honours degree (First Class) from UCT, and an MSc in Physical Science (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of the Western Cape. Over the years, my deep fascination with radio astronomy has evolved into a career centered on solving the massive data-intensive challenges presented by next-generation instruments like MeerKAT and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

Research & Impact

My research is dedicated to building automated, deep learning solutions and scalable infrastructure for complex data pipelines. You can view my full publication record and academic contributions on my ORCID Profile: 0000-0001-8431-1145.

My work focuses on three key pillars:

Source Classification: Developing machine learning techniques to classify star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei in deep radio continuum survey data. This research was recognized with the Best MSc Paper Award at the IDIA 10-Year Anniversary celebrations and an award at the 2026 Deep Learning Indaba in Rwanda.

RFI Mitigation: Developing advanced deep learning architectures (such as RFINet) for Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) subtraction and mitigation to protect highly sensitive telescope data from human-generated interference.

Automated Data Reduction Pipelines: Designing and optimizing end-to-end automated radio data reduction pipelines. By leveraging containerization technologies like Singularity and high-performance computing (HPC) cluster environments, this work streamlines the processing, calibration, and imaging of massive datasets to maximize scientific output from next-generation instruments.

Teaching, Support & Capacity Building

At UCT, I coordinate the Data Science for Astronomy MSc course under the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP). I am passionate about innovative, research-led teaching that equips the next generation of African scientists with competitive skills in big data, cloud computing, and AI. Beyond UCT, I work to establish and strengthen collaborative networks across the continent to create a sustainable, interconnected African scientific community.

Engagement & Outreach