Professor Dr. Du Toit Strauss became A prominent international figure in space research during his early years of undergraduate and graduate studies. During his first conference participations at AGU and Committee on Space Research assemblies he presented his graduate work on the stochastic differential equation method for the solution of Fokker-Planck equations for energetic particle transport. Already then, he assumed a leadership role by paving the way for subsequent research in this and related areas of study. He completed his Ph.D. in 2013 and subsequently became an assistant and, more recently, associate professor at the North-West University in South Africa, where he is now a central figure in student education and inspires the next generation of space researchers from Africa. Internationally, he is widely acknowledged for his excellent research contributions to the propagation of solar energetic particles and cosmic rays and his community work and leadership. His community service includes the organization of several scientific sessions at international conferences and his active participation as a peer reviewer for funding panels and paper reviews in high-impact international journals. He is very active in student supervision, and a number of his students have already successfully completed their B.Sc.’s, M.Sc.’s and Ph.D.’s. For his research, he received funding through national funding agencies, and he is active in international collaboration projects. He is also the principal investigator for the SouthAfrican Neutron Monitor program, thus continuing this longstanding tradition of space research through the younger generations. His research excellence is documented by his impressive publication record and his numerous invitations to give presentations at international conferences. To date, he has authored or co-authored nearly 50 peer reviewed scientific publications, including in AGU journals, and he has already received over 1,000 citations to his work. His research focuses on the physics of the heliosphere, in particular the acceleration and transport of energetic particles from the Sun, the Jovian magnetosphere and the outer heliosphere, including cosmic rays. He has made important contributions to the methodology of particle transport simulations and the interpretation of particle observations, which are of renewed interest with the recently launched Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions. In summary, Dr. Strauss is an internationally acknowledged researcher of the highest merit, and he will surely extend his leadership role in space research even more in the future. He is awarded the AGU Africa Award for Research Excellence in Space Science for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of cosmic rays and energetic particle transport in the heliosphere.

 — Frederic Effenberger Ruhr-University Bochum Bochum, Germany

 

Response

It is a great honor and privilege to accept the 2021 AGU Africa Award for Research Excellence in Space Science. I would like to thank Sunanda Basu and AGU for making this award possible and Frederic Effenberger for his nomination. Through this award, I hope that I can showcase a small fraction of the excellent research being conducted on the African continent. I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their continual support. I’m especially grateful to my wife for her continual love and encouragement.

— R. Du Toit Strauss
North-West University
Potchefstroom, South Africa