Young African in Nuclear Physics

Became a physicist. I started my PhD in Physics and Nuclear Instrumentation at Mohammed V University in Morocco in 2014, it also felt like a dream that came true. Since I was a high school student I had been fascinated by physics and more particularly by the idea that physics would lead me to a fundamental understanding of "nature". April 1, 2019, I received my PhD degree. I did my research with the Science Team of Matter and Radiation (ESMaR) in Rabat in collaboration with the National Center of Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Techniques (CNESTEN) in Maâmoura. There, my PhD thesis focused on the application of Nonnegative Tensor Factorization algorithms to extract independent components from signals recorded at the fission chamber preamplifier's output in order to achieve a software neutron-gamma discrimination. During my PhD I experienced some of the challenges like we don't get full access to equipment and also we don't have access to experimental data. Meaning what we do is purely simulation. We really need to validate our results experimentally to have a "safe" work, I mean, work with results that we can trust! and after my PhD; I realized another challenge facing young African physicists is postdoctoral opportunities in Africa! Only very few African research institutions offer postdoctoral opportunities and if they are able to get a postdoctoral fellowship at African research institutions they will meet some challenges like lack of support, mentorship and guidance and also lack of funding. Currently, I am one of the co-convenor of the Young Physicists Forum (YPF) of the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics (ASFAP). ASFAP— YPF is an opportunity for the Young African Members of the ASFAP to gather, study and debate the major issues in their research careers. I am always willing to help develop the potential of young African physicists and organize and participate in the YPF, which celebrates the numerous fascinating sides of physics.