Andrew Forbes named Editor-in-Chief of top global photonics journal
- Wits University
Wits Professor becomes the first person based in Africa to lead any journal published by AIP Publishing.
Wits Distinguished Professor Andrew Forbes has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of APL Photonics, becoming the first person based in Africa to lead any journal published by AIP Publishing.
The announcement was made on 18 November by AIP Publishing, which described Forbes as a “globally recognised leader” in structured light and quantum photonics.
Forbes is based in the School of Physics at the University of the Witwatersrand and is the founder of the Structured Light Laboratory at Wits, which he launched in 2015. He has been instrumental in building photonics research capacity and infrastructure across Africa, and is the Director of South Africa’s Quantum Roadmap.
“Andrew’s scientific leadership and global outlook make him an exceptional choice to guide APL Photonics into its next chapter,” said Penelope Lewis, Chief Publishing Officer at AIP Publishing. “His commitment to advancing the field aligns with our mission to support researchers and accelerate discovery.”
Speaking about his appointment, Forbes said, “I’m excited to lead APL Photonics at a moment when photonics is shaping the future of quantum technologies, communications, and imaging. I look forward to working with authors, reviewers, and the broader community to strengthen the journal’s role in advancing transformative research.”
Forbes is a Fellow of multiple leading scientific organisations, including SPIE, Optica, PIERS, and the South African Institute of Physics. He is also an elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
He holds South Africa’s highest research rating from the National Research Foundation and is the only physicist in the country to be named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list in both 2024 and 2025.
His work has earned him numerous honours, including the SAIP Gold Medal, the TWAS Physics Prize, the Alexander von Humboldt Georg Forster Prize, the Sang Soo Lee Award, and the national NSTF Award for Quantum. This year, he received the Harry Oppenheimer Trust Fellowship, South Africa’s most prestigious science award.
APL Photonics is a leading open-access journal that publishes high-impact research in areas including nanophotonics, quantum photonics, ultrafast optics, and emerging photonic materials.