Date of honour: 18 May 2026
Awarded by: University of Pretoria (Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering)
Who is Professor Justin Jonas?
Professor Justin Jonas is a pioneering figure in radio astronomy who has spent over four decades advancing South Africa’s role in global radio astronomy and engineering.
Key achievements
- Developed the MeerKAT Radio Telescope – one of the world’s most advanced radio telescopes.
- Played a key role in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) – the world’s largest radio astronomy network, which detects faint signals from the earliest galaxies.
- Helped South Africa become a global leader in radio astronomy engineering, contributing to the Event Horizon Telescope (which captured the first images of a black hole in 2019) and other international projects.
- Mentored the next generation of engineers and scientists, helping to establish research grants and bursaries.
- Led the MeerKAT team as Chief Technologist – the team won the 2023 Royal Astronomical Society Group Achievement Award.
Current and previous roles
- Director of the Centre for Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies (RATT) at Rhodes University
- Former Managing Director of HartRAO
- Former Associate Director for Science and Engineering at SKA South Africa
- Former Chief Technologist for SKA South Africa
- Professor and Head of Department at Rhodes University’s Department of Physics and Electronics
Beyond astronomy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Jonas served as Technical Advisor to the National Ventilator Project, helping to produce 20,000 non-invasive ventilators for South Africa.
His own words
“What has always mattered to me is building systems, institutions and opportunities that allow people to contribute meaningfully to work at a global level while rooted in South Africa.”
To read the full article on the Good Things Guy web site click here