Professor Rob Simmonds (1966–2026)

4 February 1966–4 July 2026

The University of Cape Town (UCT) community mourns the passing of Professor Rob Simmonds, a respected member of the Department of Computer Science and a central figure in building UCT’s data-intensive research infrastructure. Born on 4 February 1966, he passed away in Cape Town on 4 July at the age of 60.

Professor Simmonds joined UCT in May 2015, bringing with him deep international experience in high-performance and distributed computing. Over the decade that followed, he became closely associated with the growth of large-scale research infrastructure at UCT, particularly through his work with the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), where he served as Associate Director: New Technology Developments.

Beyond his professional achievements, he had a wide range of interests that colleagues remember with affection. He loved photography and cooking, often accompanied by an enthusiasm for the latest gadgets, and he assembled an impressive collection of guitars (including a four-decade old Ibanez JEM 777). A keen traveller, he frequently entertained colleagues with anecdotes from his journeys, while his fondness for the wit of author Douglas Adams was well known. And, of course, his beloved dog Avogadro was seldom far from the conversation and webcam field-of-view.

Within the Faculty of Science, he played an important role in designing and strengthening systems that support data-intensive research. His work contributed substantially to the reliability, scalability and technical development of the ilifu cloud computing facility, which enables researchers to process and analyse exceptionally large scientific datasets.

He also made fundamental contributions to the architecture and development of CARTA, a visual analytics platform used by astronomers internationally. CARTA received the inaugural Research Software Award at the 2025/2026 NSTF-South32 Awards, in recognition of the collective work of the international collaboration to which Rob provided critical technical leadership.

Together, these platforms have enabled South African and international researchers to analyse and interpret increasingly complex datasets, particularly from the MeerKAT radio telescope. They have also strengthened South Africa’s capacity to participate in global scientific collaborations and contributed to preparations for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Regional Centre Network.

Before joining UCT, Professor Simmonds held senior roles in Canada, contributing to the development of large-scale national computing infrastructure as chief technology officer of WestGrid. He brought that experience back to South Africa at a critical moment.

His legacy will continue to be felt in the systems he helped build, the research they enable, and the institutional capacity he helped establish.

He is survived by his two sisters, Susan Heavens and Anne Beaver.