Rob Adam
Encyclopedia
Dr Robert Martin Adam is the chief-executive officer of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) since 2006. He was the Director General of the South African Department of Science and Technology from 1999 to 2006. He has worked as a consultant to the governments of Namibia
and Chile
, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa
.
, a private school in Cape Town
.
and the Gordon Percy Memorial Prize for the top honours student from the University of Cape Town
. In 1980, after two years working in carbon fibre technology in England, he returned to South Africa and was employed by the South African Council for Higher Education. His task was to develop distance learning courses in physical science and mathematics in English for people whose first language was not English.
In 1981, he was imprisoned for 10 years for activities on behalf of the African National Congress
(ANC). While serving his sentence, he obtained BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in theoretical physics, both with distinction, through the University of South Africa
(UNISA). He received the UNISA national scholarship awarded to the top masters student at that university, to do a PhD in theoretical nuclear physics]]. He was released from prison in 1990 and shortly thereafter received his PhD degree from UNISA. After a short period of working with Professor Harry Fiedeldy, his PhD supervisor, he was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by the Vrije Universiteit
(Amsterdam). He returned in 1993 to take up a post in the Department of Physics at the University of Natal
.
(ANC), then banned by the Apartheid regime, and in 1980 he became an ANC office bearer. After joining the ANC he returned to the country: "What the ANC did for me was give me a way to go home again, in a way that I found acceptable."
On 22 September 1981 he and Mandla Elliot Themba of Soweto
, a fellow ANC member, was arrested because of their ANC membership and involvement in underground work for the organisation. During the trial they were represented by the legendary human rights advocate, George Bizos
, who also represented Nelson Mandela
and many other political activists. Adam's father testified in mitigation of sentence that Adam had become aware of the evils of the compound system while the family lived on a mine in Namibia
, and that "his strong sense of concern and compassion led him to his ANC commitment." On 1 June 1982 Adam was sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment, and Themba to five years.
The Mail & Guardian summarises his experience in prison as follows:
While in Pretoria Central Prison
he studied further and later obtained his doctors degree in theoretical nuclear physics.
He was released on 9 February 1990, together with many other political prisoners as part of the steps towards a democratic South Africa.
In 1999 he became the Director General of DACST, under Minister Ben Ngubane. In 2002 this department was split into two, the Department of Art and Culture and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). He continued as the Director General of DST, in the latter period under Minister Mosibudi Mangena
. He held this position until 2006, when he took up the position of the CEO of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa.
While in government he had been responsible for driving activities such as the drafting of the Green and White Papers on science and technology; the Position Paper on the Information Society; and various statutes including the National Research Foundation Act, the National Advisory Council on Innovation Act, the Legal Deposit and the National Libraries Act and several international technical cooperation frameworks. He managed the Research and Technology Audit; Research and Technology Foresight project; reviews of 12 science, engineering and technology institutions; the restructuring of museums and cultural institutions; the distribution of budgets to science councils; an investigation into South Africa's science journals; and science and technology agreements with more than 22 countries.
He worked towards South Africa being awarded the contract to build and run the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Telescope. South Africa is competing with Australia to get this telescope project. SKA is a radio telescope
and must be based in an area where there is very little man made radio interference. The site chosen in South Africa is in the Karoo
, north-west of Carnarvon
.
outside Pretoria
and is established by legislation to be South Africa’s main research and development organization in the field of nuclear technology, as well as carrying out other functions on nuclear issues on behalf of the South African government. It operates the Safari Research Reactor and partners the Pebble bed modular reactor
Company in the manufacture of nuclear fuel.
He is a grand nephew of Sir James Rose-Innes, the second Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa
.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa
Royal Society of South Africa
The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The Society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of a national scholarly society...
.
Early life
His father, James Adam, was a metallurgist and Rob grew up in mining towns. He finished school at BishopsDiocesan College
The Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is more commonly known, is an independent, all-boys school situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa...
, a private school in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
Studies
He obtained a BSc degree with distinction in chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and the Gordon Percy Memorial Prize for the top honours student from the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
. In 1980, after two years working in carbon fibre technology in England, he returned to South Africa and was employed by the South African Council for Higher Education. His task was to develop distance learning courses in physical science and mathematics in English for people whose first language was not English.
In 1981, he was imprisoned for 10 years for activities on behalf of the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC). While serving his sentence, he obtained BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in theoretical physics, both with distinction, through the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
(UNISA). He received the UNISA national scholarship awarded to the top masters student at that university, to do a PhD in theoretical nuclear physics]]. He was released from prison in 1990 and shortly thereafter received his PhD degree from UNISA. After a short period of working with Professor Harry Fiedeldy, his PhD supervisor, he was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
(Amsterdam). He returned in 1993 to take up a post in the Department of Physics at the University of Natal
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...
.
Anti-Apartheid work
In 1979, while in self-imposed exile in London after his initial studies, Rob Adam became a member of the African National CongressAfrican National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC), then banned by the Apartheid regime, and in 1980 he became an ANC office bearer. After joining the ANC he returned to the country: "What the ANC did for me was give me a way to go home again, in a way that I found acceptable."
On 22 September 1981 he and Mandla Elliot Themba of Soweto
Soweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
, a fellow ANC member, was arrested because of their ANC membership and involvement in underground work for the organisation. During the trial they were represented by the legendary human rights advocate, George Bizos
George Bizos
George Bizos is a distinguished human rights advocate who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa, most notably during the Rivonia Trial.-Early life:...
, who also represented Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and many other political activists. Adam's father testified in mitigation of sentence that Adam had become aware of the evils of the compound system while the family lived on a mine in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, and that "his strong sense of concern and compassion led him to his ANC commitment." On 1 June 1982 Adam was sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment, and Themba to five years.
The Mail & Guardian summarises his experience in prison as follows:
- "eight months in solitary confinement, where you grow to miss your interrogators because at least they provide some stimulation; a year with the criminals, who found him somewhat of a novelty; some time getting to know the Italians of a right-wing fascist movement, also incarcerated; and, finally, the years with a small group of political, with whom he spun plans of how they would run the country when they came to power – including what kind of science and technology sector South Africa would have."
While in Pretoria Central Prison
Pretoria Central Prison
Pretoria Central Prison is a large prison in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The prison was the official site of capital punishment in South Africa during the apartheid era...
he studied further and later obtained his doctors degree in theoretical nuclear physics.
He was released on 9 February 1990, together with many other political prisoners as part of the steps towards a democratic South Africa.
Career in government
In 1995 he was appointed as a chief director in the Department of Art, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST). In 1996 he was promoted to the post of Deputy Director-General for science and technology.In 1999 he became the Director General of DACST, under Minister Ben Ngubane. In 2002 this department was split into two, the Department of Art and Culture and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). He continued as the Director General of DST, in the latter period under Minister Mosibudi Mangena
Mosibudi Mangena
Mosibudi Mangena is a South Africa politician and the President of the Azanian People's Organisation . He was the Minister of Science and Technology from 2004 to 2008....
. He held this position until 2006, when he took up the position of the CEO of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa.
While in government he had been responsible for driving activities such as the drafting of the Green and White Papers on science and technology; the Position Paper on the Information Society; and various statutes including the National Research Foundation Act, the National Advisory Council on Innovation Act, the Legal Deposit and the National Libraries Act and several international technical cooperation frameworks. He managed the Research and Technology Audit; Research and Technology Foresight project; reviews of 12 science, engineering and technology institutions; the restructuring of museums and cultural institutions; the distribution of budgets to science councils; an investigation into South Africa's science journals; and science and technology agreements with more than 22 countries.
He worked towards South Africa being awarded the contract to build and run the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Telescope. South Africa is competing with Australia to get this telescope project. SKA is a radio telescope
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
and must be based in an area where there is very little man made radio interference. The site chosen in South Africa is in the Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
, north-west of Carnarvon
Carnarvon, South Africa
Carnarvon is a small town in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Originally established in 1860 as the village of Harmsfontein, it was located within the territory of Schietfontein, the only water source in the area and the site of the Rhenish mission station founded in 1847 by the...
.
NECSA
Dr Adam was appointed CEO of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) in 2006. It has its premises at PelindabaPelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
outside Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and is established by legislation to be South Africa’s main research and development organization in the field of nuclear technology, as well as carrying out other functions on nuclear issues on behalf of the South African government. It operates the Safari Research Reactor and partners the Pebble bed modular reactor
Pebble bed modular reactor
The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor is a particular design of pebble bed reactor under development by South African company PBMR Ltd since 1994...
Company in the manufacture of nuclear fuel.
Family and personal life
He was married to Liz Gavin and has two children.He is a grand nephew of Sir James Rose-Innes, the second Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
.