Andrew Venter

Dr. Andrew Venter is the group leader of the Diffraction Section at the SAFARI-1 Research Reactor that is owned and operated by South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa SOC Limited). He holds an Adjunct Professorship with the North West University, is a National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher, is a frequent member of panels for the IAEA, as well as serves on a number of national and international committees.

Prof Venter is the technical project lead with the extensive beam line upgrade program at SAFARI-1. This comprises the two fully functional neutron diffraction instruments, PITSI and MPISI, as well as securing funding for the modernisation of the neutron imaging, X-ray diffraction, as well as X-ray imaging facilities. All these facilities are Open User Access in support of the National System of Innovation and promotion of the peaceful use of neutron beams in materials research. He is also a member of a Task Team looking into the replacement of SAFARI-1 with the responsibility to motivate for the development of a suite of world-class neutron scattering and imaging instruments.

In BrightnESS², he is involved in Work Package 2 with Tasks 2.2 and 2.3a. In Task 2.2, he has been instrumental in coordinating a series of ten mini-symposia on prominent research themes benefiting for the use of neutron scattering to inform and build the South African research fraternity towards consolidating the future user needs. In Task 2.3a, the MPISI neutron strain scanner is the only instrument, outside the three leading European instruments participating with this initiative aimed at establishing a Neutron Quality Label for Internal Stress Characterisation.