Senamile Masango (Photo shared on LinkedIn by Colleen Larsen)
The government of South Africa has announced the passing of Senamile Masango, the country’s first black female nuclear scientist. The 37 year old, who many South Africans thought of as the “queen of science,” died on February 9 from undisclosed causes. Deputy President Paul Mashatile described Masango as “a beacon of hope for many young people, especially women.”
Love of science: Masango was born in 1987 in a rural village to a Zulu princess and a prominent father. Her parents encouraged her interest in science and education. She later recalled that she fell in love with science at age 11, when a teacher talked to her class about astronauts and space travel.
Masango studied physics and mechanical engineering at University of Zululand. She subsequently completed her bachelor’s degree in physics and earned a master’s degree in nuclear physics from University of the Western Cape.
Accomplishments: Masango soon began garnering attention with her professional work. In 2017, she became the first black African woman to be part of a research team working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). She also became the chair of the research and development committee of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa.
In 2019, she was recognized by the South African news publication Mail & Guardian as one of the country’s top 200 scientists under age 35. In 2022, she was honored with an International Women in Science Award from L'Oréal-UNESCO.
Masango was most recently conducting research at Canada’s TRIUMF particle accelerator center. She was also planning to pursue a doctorate in nuclear physics.
Work hard: Masango often spoke out on the importance of women of color getting into science, and she established a foundation to encourage young women to pursue education and careers in science.
The challenges faced by young black women were of special interest to her. “The biggest challenge in my career is my skin color," she once said. "If you look like me, no one believes in you; you must prove that you know your job and that you can think! There are still very few black women scientists. This means women like me have to work twice as hard to prove their worth.”
Upon her death, the South African Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation issued a statement: “Masango’s tireless efforts to promote science education and empowerment, particularly among women and disadvantaged communities, will be deeply missed.”
Department Minister Blade Nzimande shared memories and thoughts about Masango with the eNCA news channel.
