Driving Innovation
Through Research
The Computer Science department pursues world-class research ranging from foundational theoretical computer science to applied machine learning and software verification. Our researchers tackle complex challenges that shape the future of computing, collaborating with international partners and industry leaders to create meaningful impact.
World-class research
From theory to real-world applications
Core research groups
Our research spans multiple domains, from theoretical foundations to practical applications that solve real-world problems.
Nondeterministic finite automata (NFA) theory, descriptional complexity, and application of automata/grammars to pattern layout optimisation, image processing, music generation, and automatic grammar correction.
Research members
Operating system kernels, protocols, and verification tools since 1990. Investigating highly reliable system software using computer-aided verification, systematic testing, and defensive programming.
Research members
General decision-making, planning, machine learning, and search algorithms grounded in probability and game theory. Application of ML to big data, specifically earth observation satellite sensors and radio interferometers.
Research members
Promoting R&D in broadband technologies and applications, and training postgraduate students and professionals in telecommunications expertise.
Research members
Highlighted publications
Discover our latest research contributions published in leading international conferences and journals.
Unsupervised State Encoding in Video Sequences Using β-Variational Autoencoders
Pretorius, A., van Biljon, E., Kroon, S.
International Conference on Machine Learning
Novel approach to learning compact state representations from video data using variational autoencoders with β-regularisation for improved disentanglement.
Read paperRemove First Detect Later: A counter-intuitive approach for detecting radio frequency interference in radio sky imagery
Grobler, T., Becker, B., Christoph, M.
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Innovative method for RFI detection in radio astronomy that reverses traditional detection pipelines, achieving superior performance on SKA precursor data.
Read paperA Comparison of Text Representation Techniques and Encoder-Decoder Implementations in a Deep Neural Network
Masakuna, J., Kroon, S.
Neural Computing and Applications
Comprehensive evaluation of text encoding methods and neural architectures for natural language processing tasks, providing practical guidance for practitioners.
Read paper
Key facilities & institutes
Stellenbosch University is the proud host of the newly opened headquarters for the National Institute of Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS). This provides state-of-the-art facilities and global collaborative opportunities for computer science researchers.
NITheCS headquarters
Modern research facilities equipped with high-performance computing infrastructure and collaborative workspaces.
Global collaborations
Access to international research networks and partnerships with leading institutions worldwide.
Research community
Vibrant community of researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students working on cutting-edge problems.
NITheCS at Stellenbosch
National hub for theoretical and computational sciences
Get involved in our research
We invite prospective Master's and Doctoral students to explore supervision opportunities with our research groups. Undergraduates can also participate in hackathons and vacation research projects to gain hands-on experience.
Postgraduate research
Join our Master's or Doctoral programmes and work alongside leading researchers on cutting-edge projects. We offer supervision across all our research groups and provide funding opportunities for qualifying students.
- •Master's and PhD supervision available
- •Bursaries and funding support
- •Access to NITheCS facilities
- •International collaboration opportunities
Undergraduate involvement
Get a taste of research through vacation projects, hackathons, and undergraduate research assistantships. These opportunities help you develop research skills and explore potential postgraduate pathways.
- •Summer and winter vacation projects
- •Research hackathons and competitions
- •Undergraduate research assistant positions
- •Honours project supervision