Engineering Research Capacity Development Award Sponsor: Eskom
Professor Thwala wins prestigious award for his engineering research
Professor Wellington Thwala received the NSTF-South32 Engineering Research Capacity Development Award from Higher Education, Science and Innovation Deputy Minister Buti Manamela.
T
HE University of South Africa’s (Unisa) Professor Wellington Thwala was awarded the coveted NSTF-South32 Engineering Research Capacity Development Award for his impressive work in the area of sustainable construction management, digitalisation, design error containment and leadership within the built environment. Thwala is a research professor at the department of civil engineering at Unisa’s college of science, engineering and technology. The category in which Thwala won recognises individuals or teams that have trained and guided significant numbers of diverse post-graduate
students, to the completion of both Master’s and doctoral studies in engineering fields, at South African universities. His work started as a response to the challenges that South Africa and the developing world still faces with its high levels of unemployment and poverty. Thwala’s research focus is in the area of sustainable construction management, digitalisation, design errors containment, cost overruns and leadership in the built environment. His research in the last five to 10 years had demonstrated how design error containment and prevention through digitalisation in the built environment can improve infrastruc-
ture project performance, in order to minimise project cost overruns in mega infrastructure projects. Moreover, his research has led to improved physical, economic and social infrastructure delivery for the benefit of South Africa, at large. Thanking Unisa in his acceptance speech, Thwala singled out the outstanding support received from senior management. He also thanked the National Research Foundation for funding research and students at the university.
* By Philip van der Merwe, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement.
