Category Archives: News

OAD Staff Is One of the Laureates of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize

Congratulations to Dr. Joyful Mdhluli from the OAD, one of the laureates of the “2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics” awarded to the ALICE experiment where she did her PhD work. The prize is awarded for detailed measurements of Higgs boson properties confirming the symmetry-breaking mechanism of mass generation, the discovery of new strongly interacting […]

IAU and OAD Contributor Michèle Gerbaldi Awarded by France

photo credit: Jean Mouette /IAP-CNRS-SU Dr. Michèle Gerbaldi, a long time friend and collaborator of the Office of Astronomy for Development, has been awarded the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit (Chevalière de l’Ordre National du Mérite) by France for her contributions to astronomy. The Order of Merit rewards distinguished merit acquired either in […]

Exploring People’s Connection to the Natural World at Night

Have you ever found yourself gazing up at a star-strewn sky, listening to the chorus of nocturnal creatures, or simply soaking in the quiet mystery of the night? If the natural world after dark sparks your curiosity, the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) would love to hear from you. We’re excited to announce that […]

2025 OAD Steering Committee Meeting

The OAD Steering Committee had its annual meeting from the 5th to 7th February 2025. The meeting was hybrid with the Steering Committee members based in Cape Town joining the OAD team at the SAAO. The Steering Committee exercises general oversight of the activities of the OAD and its staff. It comprises 3 members nominated […]

IAU OAD and Partners to Support 13 Hackathons Globally in 2025 under the Hack4Dev collaboration

Big data hackathon

Hack4dev, a collaboration between the IAU OAD and partners, is pleased to announce that it will host 13 Data Science hackathons across 12 countries between February and April 2025. Hackathons will take place in Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Botswana, South Africa, Madagascar, Rwanda, Namibia, Mozambique, India, Brazil, and Chile. The events will offer participants the opportunity […]