Rhodes University doctoral student Victoria da Graça Gilberto Samboco has been awarded the 2024 African Astronomical Society (AfAS) MSc Prize, a prestigious honour recognising her exceptional contributions to the field of radio astronomy. The award was announced during the AfAS General Assembly and Conference.

The AfAS MSc Prize is part of the society’s inaugural MSc and PhD awards initiative, established by the Early Career Science Sub-committee to acknowledge academic excellence and research innovation by emerging African astronomers. Samboco, a 27-year-old Mozambican and second-year PhD student at Rhodes University, was selected as the winner for the Southern African region—one of only two regions awarded this year.

“This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that went into the SolarKAT pipeline,” said Samboco. “It’s an incredible honour to see our work acknowledged on a continental scale.”

Her MSc research, titled SolarKAT: Solar Imaging Pipeline for MeerKAT, addresses a crucial challenge in radio astronomy—solar interference. Solar emissions frequently disrupt observations from radio telescopes such as South Africa’s MeerKAT, a key instrument in global astronomy research. Samboco’s project developed a dedicated pipeline to isolate and eliminate solar emissions from observational data, significantly improving the clarity and reliability of the telescope’s output.

“By improving the quality of daytime observations, we’re unlocking the potential to study transient and dynamic cosmic events—like pulsars and supernovae—with greater accuracy,” she explained.

Samboco expressed gratitude to her supervisors, Professor Oleg Smirnov and Professor Ian Heywood, for their invaluable support throughout her MSc journey.

Now pursuing her PhD at Rhodes University, she is expanding her research into time-domain astronomy and transient source detection—key areas in understanding the evolving universe.

The AfAS MSc Prize not only recognises individual achievement but also highlights the growing influence of African scientists in the international astronomy community. It aims to foster collaboration and excellence across the continent, encouraging the next generation of African astronomers.

Samboco’s success stands as both a personal milestone and a symbol of the thriving talent within Africa’s scientific community.