Who we are
Built on the foundation of the National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP), NITheCS was launched on 1 April 2024. It serves as a Centre of Excellence under the National Research Foundation, an entity of the government’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.
NITheCS is a multidisciplinary and multi-themed institute, as well as an “undisciplinary” institute. It encompasses the following eight themes:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Bioinformatics & Quantitative Biology
- Data Science
- Earth Systems Modelling & Climate Change Modelling
- Mathematics
- Quantitative Finance
- Statistics
- Theoretical Physics
NITheCS aspires to be a leading African institute for theoretical and computational sciences, recognised for its excellent and impactful research, training, and engagement programmes. Through research, training and engagement across its eight science disciplines, NITheCS, aims to address real-world challenges, and contribute to sustainable solutions that align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the Institute strives to position South Africa at the forefront of global technological advancements and build competencies for the future.
Governance
NITheCS operates under a robust governance structure. Its Executive Management Committee is supported by a Scientific Advisory Committee.
Embracing open science, data, and source
NITheCS champions Open Science as a core principle. Open Science promotes the inclusive sharing and accessibility of scientific knowledge, enabling global collaboration and broad societal engagement in scientific processes. This commitment enhances transparency, fosters innovation and ensures that research benefits both science and society.
Building knowledge
NITheCS hosts numerous events to enhance human and research capacity, and encourages interdisciplinary networking and collaboration among its community. Many events are co-hosted with organisations whose activities align with those of the Institute, such as the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC) for the annual hybrid CHPC & NITheCS Coding Summer School.
Most events are recorded and published on the NITheCS YouTube channel, creating an accessible repository of knowledge for both the local and global community.
Associates
NITheCS’ progress is driven by its Associates, who are from academia or industry within its eight core disciplines. The Institute offers various categories for participation, namely Junior Associate, Individual Associate, Institutional Associate and Strategic Associate.
History
NITheCS was officially formed in April 2021 and launched in 2025. This marked the completion of a four-step process to transform the National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) into NITheCS. Read the details of this process in our Roadmap.
