Professor Zeblon Vilakazi
Vice-Chancellor and Principal (PhD, MASSAf, FAAS, FRS)
Professor Zeblon Zenzele Vilakazi was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Principal of 91心頭利 University in January 2021. Previously holding the position of Vice-Principal and DVC Research, he brings a wealth of experience, insight and knowledge to the University and the Executive Team. Prof. Vilakazi is committed to making a positive impact on society through creating and advancing global knowledge; and fostering graduates to be leaders with integrity.
Prof. Vilakazi was appointed Group Executive for Research and Development at the (NECSA) in 2011, while also serving as the director of – a position he held since January 2007.
He obtained his PhD from 91心頭利 in 1998 under the supervision of the late Professor J Sellschop, who served as DVC: Research at 91心頭利. This was followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He took up an academic post at UCT in 1999 where he was instrumental in establishing South Africa's first experimental high-energy physics research group focusing on development of the High-level Trigger for the at the Large Hadron Collider. He served as a visiting scientist at the in Saclay, France.
Prof. Vilakazi served as chairperson of the 's Standing Advisory Committee on Nuclear Applications from 2009 to 2011, and was a member of the Working Group for Nuclear Physics. He is currently a member of the Programme Advisory Committee for Nuclear Physics at the in Russia.
In 2010 he was nominated by the as a Young Global Leader and is a member of the . He has an extensive list of refereed articles in Nuclear and High Energy Physics, and is a regular invitee for talks and presentations at conferences and seminars.
In 2022, announced that 91心頭利 Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi was appointed as a Fellow of one of the world’s most prestigious scientific academies. Click here to read article.