A world-renowned theoretical physicist recently delivered a lecture at Stellenbosch University on the invitation of friends and donors of the University, Willem and Makkie Joubert.
The couple, who are sponsoring a postgraduate bursary in Quantum Physics, are passionate about the subject and keen to promote public understanding of it in South Africa. The couple’s support also showcases the value of public private partnerships in advancing knowledge creation.
Dr Christophe Galford, who completed his PhD under the supervision of the world-famous Stephen Hawking, talked about the world and the Universe as seen through the eyes of modern scientific understanding.
Galford devotes his time to spreading modern scientific knowledge to the general public and has given talks to more than 50 000 people of all ages and backgrounds. He is also a regular contributor to TV and radio shows.
In September 2013, he wrote a live pyrotechnic and 3D-mapping show about the history of the Universe, performed in La Défense in Paris, which was attended by 60 000 people on one night, and spoke at TEDx Paris. His first book of non-fiction, The Universe in your hand, was published in the United Kingdom by Macmillan in 2015. The book is now being published in 19 different territories, and was a top 10 bestseller in France, Sweden and Spain.
