EBIT in a nutshell University of Pretoria
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Heading Subheading
The engineering discipline in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016.
University of Pretoria
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Content Message from the Dean
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A leading university
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About the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
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Key facts and statistics
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Key research areas
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Outstanding facilities
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Contact details
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Management structure 45
Heading Subheading
EBIT Faculty House is a student-governed structure that is there to offer academic, professional and personal development opportunities to all students of the faculty. Educational and social events are regularly organised for empowerment, enjoyment and networking. Back (from left): Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Manchala Sithole, Keagan Ladds, Thembelani Moyo, Marno van der Meulen, Durrant Bilankulu, Kyppy Simani and Warren van Heerden Front (from left): Thelishia Moodley, DantĂŠ Chiapperini, Laura-Jane Martinus and Antonia Michael Absent: Simon Bonarius
University of Pretoria
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Message from the Dean Prof Sunil Maharaj
With the engineering discipline in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016, my commitment is to build on this great foundation established by my predecessors so that we, as a collective, can strive to make a distinct contribution to and impact on our great country and the African continent, especially in terms of its competitiveness. We will focus on the following key five-point vision:
Enhancing the quality of the programmes as required for professional and international accreditation and the continuous improvement of facilities so that we offer outstanding teaching/learning and research experience to our graduates. Appointing, developing and growing talent so that we develop a pipeline of outstanding future academics and researchers that reflect our diversity. Positioning EBIT as the faculty of choice among school pupils, postgraduate students, parents and the industry so that we can attract and retain the top achievers and be the preferred partner to industry in research and human capital development. Increasing international collaboration to strengthen our position in the research rankings and to attract leading researchers to collaborate with this faculty. Improving and integrating the culture of ‘technopreneurship’ in the faculty so that we can have a greater impact on society, industry competiveness and contribute to knowledge-economy type job creation.
When I experience the tenacity and creativeness of our outstanding student corps and when I observe the contributions of our faculty and staff, and contemplate the intense sense of passion, commitment and energy that pervades the EBIT faculty, I am thrilled and delighted, and filled with great optimism for the future. In EBIT, each one of us believes we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to meet the critical challenges of our time, so it is with great pleasure that I present you with a copy of this brochure in which the faculty’s key research capabilities are highlighted and showcased.
Prof BTJ Maharaj (Sunil) Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and IT SENTECH Chair in Broadband Wireless Multimedia Communications.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
A leading university The University of Pretoria currently has more than 50 000 students and has become one of the leading higher education institutions in Africa and the world. From its beginnings in 1908, it has transformed from being a mainly white, Afrikaans institution to being a multicultural, multiracial university that offers quality education to all.
Vision
Values
To be a leading research-intensive university in Africa, recognised internationally for its quality, relevance and impact, developing people, creating knowledge and making a difference locally and globally.
Mission In pursuing recognition and excellence in its core functions of research, teaching and learning, as well as integrating engagement with society and communities into these, the University of Pretoria will use quality, relevance, diversity and sustainability as its navigational markers.
The members of the University of Pretoria believe that: - our community of scholars must be founded on the pursuit of knowledge through research, as well as teaching and learning, with membership acquired on the basis of intellectual merit, ability and the potential for excellence; and - differing perspectives, arising from diverse backgrounds and histories, define our identities, deepen scholarly inquiry and enrich academic debate. We cherish: - academic freedom, creative and innovative thought, ethical standards and integrity, accountability and social justice; and - our staff and students as the University’s core asset.
We foster: - an inquiry-led and evidence-based approach to creating knowledge; and - academic citizenship, whereby we commit ourselves to harnessing our intellectual abilities in the interest of our nation and humanity. We recognise that: - in a resource-constrained world, where vast disparities remain, the University must endeavour to produce graduates who appreciate the importance of community service, entrepreneurial endeavours and innovative actions in generating employment and development in our local communities.
University of Pretoria
Heading Subheading
The University’s community of scholars must be founded on the pursuit of knowledge through research, as well as teaching and learning, with membership acquired on the basis of intellectual merit, ability and the potential for excellence.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
About the Faculty
of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology is a leading source of locally relevant and internationally competitive programmes in engineering, the built environment, information technology and technology management, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It attracts high-quality students and staff, and offers extended programmes to facilitate inclusiveness. Through stakeholder involvement it is well resourced in terms of teaching and research facilities, and houses several research institutes. The Faculty maintains close links with industry that support both the teaching and research programmes. The multidisciplinary nature of the Faculty facilitates interaction across disciplines in both teaching and research activities.
Academic programmes:
School of Engineering The School of Engineering offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the following disciplines: chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical, electronic and computer engineering, engineering and technology management (postgraduate only), industrial and systems engineering, materials science, metallurgical engineering, mechanical and aeronautical engineering, and mining engineering. All the undergraduate programmes are accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). The Faculty presently has approximately 5 700 registered undergraduate and 2 500 postgraduate students, including those in Engineering Technology Management. It is cited in the International Science Index as among the top 1% of engineering schools worldwide.
University of Pretoria
Heading Subheading
School for the Built Environment The School for the Built Environment is the largest of its kind in the country. Undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are offered in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, quantity surveying, construction management, and town and regional planning. At postgraduate level, the school offers honours degrees that include architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture, as well as master’s degrees that include architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and town and regional planning. The School also offers doctoral degrees.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Heading Subheading
School of Information Technology The School of Information Technology is a unique institution for tertiary education in the field of information technology. Established in April 1998, the School consists of the departments of Computer Science, Informatics and Information Science. Close links also exist with the faculty’s Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. The integration of the three academic departments into one school has brought considerable advantages for the academic programmes offered. Programmes on offer include BIT, MIT and PhD(IT), as well as BSc(CS), BSc(IT), BCom(Inf) and BIS(Multimedia) degrees, each with postgraduate options.
University of Pretoria
Heading Subheading
Graduate School of Technology Management, Department of Engineering and Technology Management Engineering and technology management is a globally evolving discipline. The increasing complexity of engineering systems and activities, the scope and sophistication of resources, as well as advances in technology, have all been driving forces in the evolution of this new field. The Department of Engineering and Technology Management is a postgraduate department offering internationally recognised development programmes. These programmes are offered at honours, master’s and doctoral level and address different needs in the fields of technology management, project management, engineering management and asset management. It offers the only Master’s Programme in Project Management in Africa to be accredited by the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC) of the Project Management Institute, USA.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key facts and statistics
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
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The number of schools in the faculty. These are the School of Engineering, the School for the Built Environment, the School of Information Technology and the Graduate School of Technology Management.
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Programmes in this School have all been accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa.
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This School is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
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INSiAVA has filed a suite of patents for more than 15 different inventions.
The leading engineering school in the country in terms of Essential Science Indicators (ESI) research productivity.
Four of the six fellows in South Africa of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are from the University of Pretoria: Prof Jan Malherbe, Prof Gerhard Hancke, Prof Xiaohua Xia and Prof Duncan Baker.
There are seven departments in this School: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, and Mining Engineering.
University of Pretoria
SCHOOL FOR THE BUILT Heading ENVIRONMENT
Subheading
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The programme in interior architecture is one of only four similar programmes in South Africa.
An honours degree in Real Estate can lead to registration as a professional property valuer.
The programme in architecture is accredited by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) and the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA).
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The BCom (Informatics) degree is the first degree in Africa that is internationally accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) of the USA.
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There are three study fields in this School: Computer Science, Informatics and Information Science.
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Nine undergraduate degrees are offered in this School.
A group of more than 30 international academics are working together with the Department of Information Science on the African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics (ACEIE) pilot project to teach information ethics in Africa.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key facts and statistics
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology Student numbers
Demographics
Undergraduate new first-year students
2013
2014
2015
1 896
2 055
2 074
ISI citation Top 1% globally
ISI: Thomson Reuters
ESI rankings (engineering paper count – productivity) Top 1% (Number of engineering
1 231
1 223
1 267
Year
2016
2015
2014
University of Pretoria ranking
511
528
668
schools in the world)
African male 3 960
(Highest ranked among all South African universities)
White female 1 307
African female 1 987
Journal publications (units) (DHET approved) Year
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
EBIT
145.6
161.4
184.4
184.8
207.4
Total research outputs (units) (DHET approved) Year
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
EBIT
209.20
237.83
245.47
281.73
332.05
White male 4 291
NRF-rated researchers in the Faculty 2012
53
2015
56
2016
63
University of Pretoria
Key facts and statistics
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology EBIT undergraduate student numbers per school (2011–2015)
EBIT postgraduate registrations (2011–2015)
9 000
4 500
8 000 7 000 6 000
983
5 000
1 327
1 020
995
1 453
1 462
926 1 453
886 1 473
3 500
4 294
4 548
4 875
5 342
5 696
1 500 1 000
1 000
500 2011
2012
2013
2014
0
2015
School of Engineering School of Information Technology School for the Built Environment
1 863
2012 Honours Doctorate
MEng and MSc graduates
PhD graduates
450
45
400
40
353
350 300 250
338
341
1 645
1 592
25 20
150
15
100
10
50
5 2012
2013
2014
2015
2 190
1 926
2013
2014
2015
Masters
45
33
30
291
2093
35
200
0
1 600
362
2 000
2 000
0
1 498
339
306
290
3 000 2 500
4 000 3 000
4 000
0
28 24
2012
2013
2014
2015
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Engineering
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering The Centre of Transport Development The Centre of Transport Development is a collaborative research entity and currently pursues the following four focus areas: Rail Pavement engineering Transport planning and operations Mobility modelling Contact person Prof Johan W Joubert johan.joubert@up.ac.za Supply Chain Management The supply chain engineering research area focuses on achieving excellence in supply chain research through high-impact, innovative, industry-relevant research aimed at improving the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental performance) of global supply chains. Research topics currently considered include supply chain design methodologies, supply chain modelling and optimisation, intelligent logistics, humanitarian logistics and reverse supply chains.
Contact person Dr Jacomine Grobler jacomine.grobler@up.ac.za
Department of Chemical Engineering Institute of Applied Materials The Institute of Applied Materials (IAM) performs applied research for the industry. It pursues research and development targets in carbon materials and chemical product design. The activities in the latter category include modelling multicomponent mixture properties, layered solids as functional additives for polymers, green pyrotechnics and combating malaria transmission. Contact person Prof Walter Focke walter.focke@up.ac.za SARChI Chair in Fluoro-materials Science and Process Integration The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Fluoro-materials Science and Process Integration was established in the
Department of Chemical Engineering in 2007. It has been functioning under the IAM umbrella since 2010. Current research includes the development of a fluoro-polymer capability in South Africa. The focus is on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and pulverised fuel ash (PFA). The research is sponsored by the Fluorochemical Expansion Initiative (FEI). Other focus areas include dry fluorination of inorganic materials, modelling of fluorine electrolysis cells and various projects of interest to the Advanced Metals Initiative (AMI) relating to fluoride-based minerals processing, and high-temperature processes for the production of high-value products directly from fluorspar. The research chair works in close collaboration with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Pelchem. Contact person Prof Philip Crouse philip.crouse@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Heading Subheading
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Engineering
The Sedibeng Water Research Chair in Water Utilisation Engineering The Sedibeng Water Company has awarded the Water Utilisation and Environmental Engineering Division of the Department of Chemical Engineering a Research Chair in Water Utilisation Engineering. The research will focus on the control of algal growth, determination of carbon cycling and improvement of the treatability of algal metabolites in the interim. The soup of organics that is recycled in the water body from dead algal cells in the sediment zone of a reservoir creates a high chlorine demand during the treatment of water. This means that the initial dose of chlorine is consumed by the organics and is, therefore, not available as an effective disinfectant to eliminate disease-causing bacteria in the water. Apart from addressing some of the problems encountered at Sedibeng Water, the research chair at the University of Pretoria will also address problems encountered at other treatment plants, since algal problems are encountered globally. Problems associated with the algal infestation of water bodies and the resultant diminishing water quality are mainly products of increased agricultural and industrial
activities that contribute the largest portion of nutrient loading to water bodies. Contact person Prof Evans Chirwa evans.chirwa@up.ac.za SARChI Chair for Carbon Materials and Technology Work in the SARChI Chair for Carbon Materials and Technology is focused on developing advanced functional materials using pure carbon. This ranges from nano-scale graphene to bulk nuclear grade graphite. Graphene is a highly specialised product that is used in groundbreaking applications like supercapacitors and high-efficiency solar cells. In nuclear energy, the focus has shifted to next- generation reactors that are passively safe, meaning that a nuclear meltdown is impossible. These reactors depend heavily on graphite as a construction material and neutron moderator. Within the Chair, work is being done to understand the microstructure of graphite, with the hope of predicting its lifetime behaviour in the harsh environment found in a nuclear reactor. Focus is also placed on coal, another carbon material that is very important to the
South African economy. In this case, the objective is to develop clean coal technologies to reduce the emissions and costs of coal-fired power plants through the use of new technologies like combined cycle systems and co-generation, which incorporates biomass such as wood. Finally the group is looking to include renewable energy in the research mix, where graphite and carbon black are being used to develop pioneering materials that will not only efficiently capture, but also store solar energy. Contact person Dr Heinrich Badenhorst carbon@up.ac.za Environmental Engineering The focus of this research is twofold. Firstly, the research aims to extend the capabilities of the Department towards air pollution control. Air pollution/air quality management work is ongoing in the following areas: ƒƒ Dispersion modelling: The application of standard (to become regulatory in SA) models (AERMOD, CALPUFF) to specific situations: Particulate matter from opencast mining, identification of diffuse sources from ambient measurements
University of Pretoria
using back-modelling, atmospheric deposition over the Highveld and Waterberg areas as a result of fossil fuel use taking into account biogenic sources of nitrogen species. The application of simple and economical pollution measurement methods: Dust deposition buckets, passive diffusive tubes. Wood gasification stoves for domestic use. Research on Circulating Fluidised Bed (CFB) systems to test emissions from various unconventional fuel sources in South Africa – coal discard, biomass, as well as work on desulphurisation tests and metal emissions.
Secondly, an exciting area of research is the effect of nanomaterials on the environment. Nanoparticles are finding applications over a wide area, but the effects of these extremely small particles are becoming problematic. These effects form the basis of a research initiative spearheaded by Prof Ndeki Musee, a research professor of the Department.
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Centre for Telecommunications Engineering in an Information Society The Centre for Telecommunications Engineering in an Information Society brings together a team of researchers from electronic engineering and computer science. From 2007 to 2009,
a project named New Generation Networks: Technology has been defined, and from 2010 to 2012, the focus was technological convergence. For the period 2013 to 2015, a project named FutureCloud was approved. This project will consider the unification of cloud computing, cloud communication and technology convergence, moving towards a future internet network called FutureCloud. Contact person Mr JH van Wyk jhvanwyk@up.ac.za SARChI Chair in Advanced Sensor Networks The Advanced Sensor Networks Group is a leading hub of research and development in the field of Advanced Sensor Networks. It aims to be a focal point in the creation of a critical mass in this key field, partnering with local and international academic institutions, research organisations and industry. This is a joint initiative with the Advanced Sensor Networks (ASN) Group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Meraka Institute under the digital@SERA partnership. ASN refers to the set of technologies and disciplines that allows distributed embedded systems to cooperatively sense, decide, learn and act in real-time to achieve certain goals. These can revolutionise our understanding and control of the physical world. The integration of advanced ICT systems in an environment
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can result in an intelligent environment able to monitor itself and take proactive steps even without human intervention. ASNs have a vast and diverse application potential spanning spheres such as manufacturing, agriculture, the natural environment, the built environment, security, military and medical. However, it has been difficult to realise the potential of ASNs due to their resource-constrained characteristics and typical challenging operating environment, the scale of the networks and inter-dependent multi-disciplinary nature of the solutions required for practical and widespread adoption common to complex systems. Due to its standing in the local and international research community, the ASN Group was awarded a Research Chair in ASN under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI). The Research Chair is co-hosted by the ASN Group at the CSIR’s Meraka Institute. Contact person Prof Attahiru Alfa attahiru.alfa@up.ac.za Centre of New Energy Systems The Centre for New Electricity Studies (CNES) is a research centre within the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. It has gained a reputation as a premier research institute in the area of energy management,
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Engineering
both nationally and internationally. It is the only Centre of Excellence in energy optimisation and standardisation. To reflect the trend of recent developments, the Centre was renamed as the Centre of New Energy Systems to stress its research expertise in energy systems and to retain its leading position in the field of energy optimisation, management and standardisation. With the hard work of its present researchers, the CNES has undergone a major change with regard to its research techniques and themes. CNES has placed more emphasis on both theoretical and practical research, so that both academic results and industrial applications are developed. Contact person Prof X Xia (NRF A-rated researcher) xxia@postino.up.ac.za Bioengineering Bioengineering is an internationally competitive cross-disciplinary research entity that works within the fields of medical and biological engineering. It applies engineering theory and tools to solve problems in medicine and biology. While some research within bioengineering
Centre for Electromagnetism Three professors in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Pretoria form the Electromagnetism Group. In addition to its comprehensive measurement facilities, the group has developed very strong computational abilities in various aspects of electromagnetism.
Power Systems: Smart Grid The Smart Grid Laboratory at the University of Pretoria has established itself as a leader in smart grid research. It delivers high-quality research, products, services and capabilities that fill the widening gap between end users and electricity suppliers across the African markets. Some of the practical applications and opportunities for research include renewable energy integration, smart prepaid metering (with time of use), AMI security and active network management. The University has a close relationship with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). Being in the city of Tshwane, it has established strong ties with its local municipality. Together, we are paving the way for new approaches to solving South Africa’s energy crisis. The Smart Grid Laboratory offers a fresh approach to smart grid research that empowers end users and delivers savings, while benefitting utilities and municipalities. These benefits will be realised across the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.
Contact person Prof JW Odendaal wimpie.odendaal@up.ac.za
Contact person Dr Raj Naidoo raj.naidoo@up.ac.za
has focused on a number of areas within acoustics, speech and signal processing, the primary research focus is on all aspects related to auditory prostheses for the deaf, including computer modelling of implanted devices and neural activation, measurement and computer modelling of perception, and computational neuroscience. This research includes international research partners and is supported by local and international research grants. Contact person Prof JJ Hanekom johan.hanekom@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Heading Subheading
Microwave and mm-wave microelectronics The next generation of mobile communications (5G) is planned to deliver data to users at rates 30 to 100 times faster than the current state-of-the-art 4G LTE networks. This will, in part, be achieved by augmenting the current network of large, widely distributed cell towers with a dense network of smaller cells. To realise such a network, these small cells need to be equipped with extremely high frequency (between 60 and 90 GHz) wireless data links to handle the large amount of data transfer required between cells. The research group is working towards new technologies for designing highquality components (antennas, amplifiers, filters and others) for this application, as well as establishing new methods for integrating these systems in a compact, low-cost fashion. Contact person Dr Tinus Stander tinus.stander@ieee.org
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Heading Subheading
National Hub for Postgraduate Programme in Energy Efficiency and Demandside Management The South African National Development Institute (SANEDI) selected the University of Pretoria to house the Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management (EEDSM) Hub. SANEDI, a subsidiary of CEF (Pty) Ltd, is a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). SANEDI identifies energy efficiency and demand-side management as key research and development themes for South Africa. The EEDSM five-year postgraduate programme was initiated as one of the targeted, government-funded programmes to generate high-quality master’s and doctoral graduates who are specifically trained to meet the needs of an expanding and sustainable energy industry in South Africa. Contact person Prof X Xia (NRF A-rated researcher) xxia@postino.up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
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Key research areas School of Engineering
Sentech Chair in Broadband Wireless Multimedia Communication The Sentech Chair in Broadband Wireless Multimedia Communication (BWMC) participates in forefront research activities in the field of broadband wireless multimedia communications. Research focus areas include radio frequency transmission and penetration, modelling and wireless access technologies. The main thrust of its current research activities is in the area of dynamic spectrum management in cognitive radio networks, massive Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) systems and the optimisation of resource allocation in cognitive wireless networks. Contact person Prof Sunil (BTJ) Maharaj sunil.maharaj@up.ac.za
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Clean Energy Research Group The University of Pretoria has been active in research on energy systems including thermoflow systems since the early 1980s. Research areas originally focused on heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and engines. Since the early 1990s, there has been a growing emphasis on computational research in the thermoflow field, with applications like electronics cooling and industrial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gaining ground. These activities are currently balanced by a growing group in experimental heat transfer and CFD research. The applications of these research areas have been consolidated into a broader focus on clean energy systems and components.
Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics The Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics (CEFIM) has been active in the field of microelectronics research and specialist training since 1981. The research and postgraduate programme mainly covers integrated circuit design, especially the design of analogue signal processors, radio frequency circuits and optical receivers in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The application of semiconductors as opto-electronic devices plays an important role in the Institute’s activities. CEFIM lecturers and students often participate in international conferences and experts from abroad visit the Institute regularly.
Present research is focused on the following research areas: Energy systems Renewable energy – solar, fuel cells, wind and ocean engineering Nuclear energy Energy efficiency and optimisation Heat exchangers Nanofluids Gas turbines Aerodynamics
Director Prof Monuko du Plessis (acting) monuko.duplessis@up.ac.za
Contact person Prof Josua Meyer josua.meyer@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Engineering
Centre for Asset Integrity Management Globally, there is a rapidly growing need to optimally manage the integrity of physical assets over their entire life cycles, from design to decommissioning. Engineering assets are increasingly used past their original design lives. This happens in the context of growing safety and environmental concerns, as well as continuous financial pressure. Trends like these require an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the asset management process, and a new generation of engineers and scientists need to be educated with a proper understanding of the asset life cycle and the interdisciplinary nature of this process. The Centre for Asset Integrity Management (C-AIM) at the University of Pretoria explores a wide range of aspects pertaining to the structural integrity and performance of physical assets, such as power generation equipment, petrochemical plants, water utility equipment and mining equipment. There are also a number of other chairs that forms part of the Centre:
Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) Chair in Plant Asset Management Established in 2012 and funded for five years, it will supervise 30 to 40 Eskom staff members who will study towards master’s and doctoral degrees on a full-time basis. High-impact research projects are underway that will deal with issues ranging from mill maintenance optimisation to the fatigue life prediction of steam turbine blades. Chair in Maintenance Engineering Established in 2009, it and has enabled the Centre to considerably expand its capacity (teaching and research) in the area of maintenance engineering. Numerous industryrelated projects are in process. Rand Water Chair in Mechanical Engineering Established in 2014, it focuses strongly on the development of asset integrity analysis and management techniques for water distribution. Pipe integrity forms a large part of this activity.
Technology and Human Resources Industry Programme (THRIP) The Centre has been participating in THRIP for many years. It entails scientific, industryrelevant research programmes, co-sponsored by industry and government. This funding enables the Centre to provide bursaries to top-calibre full-time postgraduate students to conduct such research, as well as for the acquisition of hardware and software associated with such research. Contact person Prof Stephan Heyns stephan.heyns@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Vehicle Dynamics Group Vehicle dynamics and mobility is of general importance to the people of South Africa, as vehicles of different kinds remain the main mode of transport for the majority of ordinary people and local industries. The focus of the Vehicle Dynamics Group (VDG) is multifaceted. It exposes scholars and students to vehicle dynamics and mobility and promotes the study and understanding of vehicle dynamics and mobility through student designs and projects in the final-year mechanical engineering curriculum. The VDG promotes the study, understanding and application of vehicle dynamics and mobility nationally and internationally through the South African version of the Baja SAEŽ competition in collaboration with local industry, encourages research activities through postgraduate studies at postgraduate and postdoctoral levels and facilitates national and international collaboration with other institutions. The VDG has strong collaborative links with industry and academia on local, national and international level. The objective of the VDG’s research work is the improvement of vehicle safety, occupant safety, comfort, reliability and efficiency. This is achieved by applying the fundamental principles of science and engineering. Extensive use is made of experimental, as well as analytical and computational tools and techniques to achieve a deep fundamental understanding of vehicle dynamics. The realisation of new technologies and their demonstration are emphasised. Contact person Prof Schalk Els schalk.els@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Department of Material Science and Metallurgical Engineering Glencore Research Chair in Pyrometallurgical Modelling The Glencore Chair in Pyrometallurgical Modelling aims to support local industry with basic and applied research to promote knowledge transfer in the field of pyrometallurgical processes and related materials with specific focus on the following areas: The measurement and modelling of material physicochemical properties Computational thermochemical analysis Process modelling Multiphysics modelling Techno-economic modelling The research programme is closely linked to industry needs and boasts excellent laboratory facilities, equipment, hardware and software. Multiphysics models of high temperature smelting and sintering furnaces are being developed to improve process understanding and ultimately enhance performance in the ferrochrome and platinum industries. Multiphysics models require high-quality material property data at high temperatures to provide accurate modelling results. Such data is often not available. For this reason, an electromagnetic levitation cell is being developed for determining the physiochemical properties of various materials at high temperatures in a noncontact environment. The thermochemical properties of vanadium-containing oxide solutions are also being measured and modelled to make it possible to study South Africa’s vanadium extraction processes using thermochemical modelling techniques. The research group ultimately aims to provide highly skilled engineers and develop world-class computational facilities to support the South African
pyrometallurgical industry to maintain and enhance its competitiveness internationally. Contact person Dr Johan Zietsman Johan.Zietsman@up.ac.za Industrial Minerals and Metals Research Institute The Industrial Minerals and Metals Research Institute (IMMRI) hosts leading experts in the metallurgical engineering industry. Industrial partners contract IMMRI to conduct research within the academic environment. Although, the strong industrial focus and project-based approach provides leading research in the field of physical metallurgy, IMMRI’s portfolio also conducts research in other fields. Substantial funding from industrial partners, along with specialist equipment, facilitates strong ties with the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering (and other departments within the University) to develop a strong support system for research projects on undergraduate and postgraduate level. The quality of research and contract-based projects is of an international standard, with a number of peer-reviewed articles published annually. IMMRI is well respected by industrial partners and has been in existence for more than 15 years. Subsequently, it hosts specialist equipment and research staff with years of experience in applying the relevant analytical techniques to their own research, as well as that of others – both in industry and in the academic environment. Contact person Prof Roelf Sandenbergh roelf.sandenbergh@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Anglo American Research Chair in Pyrometallurgy The Centre for Pyrometallurgy in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering was officially launched by Mr Godfrey Gomwe, Executive Director of Anglo American South Africa on 30 May 2011. With the establishment of the Anglo American Chair in Pyrometallurgy in this department in 2009, the concept of the formation of a Centre for Pyrometallurgy originated. The key aim of this Centre is to perform internationally competitive research that is relevant to the local pyrometallurgical industry, thereby bringing the Pyrometallurgy Group at the University of Pretoria and the South African pyrometallurgical industry closer together. Through this collaboration, communication, cooperation and support between academia and industry can be strengthened and expertise in pyrometallurgy further developed. Contact person Prof Andrie Garbers-Craig andrie.garbers-craig@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Engineering
Department of Mining Engineering Sasol Chair in Safety, Health and Environment The objective of the Sasol Chair in Safety, Health and Environment is to assist with improving the health and safety performance of the mining industry, mainly through the establishment of the Executive Certificate in Safety, Health, Environment and Community (SHEC) Resilience for Managers in the Mineral Resources Industry. This comprehensive online programme is designed for the mineral resources sector and covers critical issues related to safety, health and the environment within the industry. The purpose of the programme is to support managers through improving their knowledge and application ability in the transition from being reactive and compliant to becoming resilient in issues such as safety, health, the environment and community management. The establishment of the Chair has created new research opportunities, including a noise-induced hearing loss research project. This project is aimed at reducing the noise exposure associated with a dust scrubber for use with continuous mining equipment. Further research needs will be identified and the research focus will be adjusted accordingly. Contact person Prof Jan du Plessis jan.duplessis@up.ac.za
Harmony Chair in Rock Engineering and Numerical Modelling Mining at depth or the mining of highly stressed areas is a common occurrence in the South African gold mining industry due to the age of the operations and the extent of mining conducted over the last century. The safety concern related to the mining of these areas, especially in terms of seismic activity, has the potential to limit gold production in the future, unless methods to select and manage the mining within acceptable risk levels are found. The Harmony Chair is responsible for conducting research on rock engineering and, specifically, the impact of mining sequences and rates on seismic activity in deep-level mines or highly stressed areas such as remnants or shaft pillars. The research will initially focus on seismic and mining parameters that have historically been used to measure the risk involved with mining these areas, but will ultimately search for more appropriate parameters and even methods of determining these parameters. Contact person Mr Johan Hanekom johanw.hanekom@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Research in the Department of Mining Engineering is Subheading advanced through the Sasol Chair in Safety, Health and Environment, the Harmony Chair in Rock Engineering and Numerical Modelling and the Mining Resilience Research Institute.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
This will include the use of numerical modelling packages and the potential to develop a constitutive law that could simulate strain softening or a stress drop in areas where stress fracturing has occurred, normally ahead of the mining faces. This potential constitutive law could allow the dissipation of a portion of the energy available to generate seismic activity within the model and could assist in the comparison of different mining sequences to decide on the lowest risk option for implementation. Research outcomes will continuously be applied to specific sites on mines for which sufficient seismic data exists in an attempt to correlate results or at least indicate applicability of the findings to date. Under the leadership of Prof Francois Malan and Prof John Napier, external rock engineers within industry will conduct research as part of their individual master’s and doctoral study programmes with the help of postgraduate students at the University. Kumba Virtual Reality Centre for Mine Design Much has been done to introduce virtual reality (VR) in education and training in the mining industry. However, many areas of research activities relating to VR can still be implemented. VR has established itself as a credible medium to convey previously complex technical scenarios in a clear, more visual way. Research items (some of many) that still need to be addressed include: A fully integrated mine design using VR to visually represent the consequences of good or poor mine design. The ways in which VR can be fully optimised and implemented as a tool for mining engineering students to experience various aspects of a mining operation working together, integrating several types of simulations into one environment. How the behaviour of miners can effectively be influenced or changed using VR behavioural change interventions. Further intervention in providing incident reconstruction simulations through VR and also include potentially preventative actions in an immersive environment.
How students can be engaged more in the learning experience through VR interventions. Investigation into the level of maturity of VR education in South African mining industry for expansion into the international mining community. Implementing immersive VR initiatives for education and training purposes.
Mining Resilience Research Institute (MRRI) It is widely acknowledged that mining in South Africa should be a source of economic growth and social transformation. During informal discussions held in 2013 with many heads of department at the University of Pretoria, the general perception was developed that mining in South Africa was not meeting the full expectations of investors, government, employees, organised labour, communities and other stakeholders for a number of complex reasons. The view was expressed that the University could play a significant role in improving the situation. It was felt that the University could be instrumental in improving the resilience of the mining industry in South Africa by researching some of the underlying causes of the underperformance of mining in South Africa in collaboration with other organisations working on related topics. This led to the University’s decision to establish the Mining Resilience Research Institute (MRRI), which would contribute practical solutions through rigorous, integrated scientific research. This led to increased resilience of the mining industry and established the University as a leading international contributor to solutions for complex mining industry problems. MMRI also forms part of the Sasol Chair in Safety, Health and Environment. Contact person Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman ronny.webber@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
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Department of Civil Engineering Centre of Transport Development Transportation is a cross-sectoral enterprise that requires skills across a broad range of disciplines, including planning, engineering, economics, management, and social sciences. The Centre of Transport Development (CTD) provides a platform for nurturing and coordinating linkages across these various disciplines at UP, to the benefit of both its students and industry partners. Collaborative projects have been undertaken by researchers from the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the areas of rail engineering, pavement engineering, transport planning and operations, and mobility modelling. Other departments that have also been included in research projects are the Department of Town and Regional Planning and the Department of Informatics.
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The increasing digitisation of information and the explosion of big data in the transport environment creates many opportunities for improved knowledge creation and enhanced decision making for government and industry
actors. Recent work at the CTD has been aimed at exploring ways of harnessing this data. Examples include the tracking and analysis of the movement of commuters and freight vehicles using GPS data and crowdsourcing, measuring the accessibility benefits of transport and land-use investments using GIS mapping, and measuring the impacts of road deterioration on logistics costs and freight damage using micro-sensors. One outcome has been the development and enhancement of simulation models suitable for local conditions, used both for analysing the properties of pavement materials and design methods, and for modelling traffic patterns on road networks (including private commuters, minibus taxis and freight vehicles). Recent clients have included the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, the South African Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) and the California Department of Transportation. Contact persons Prof Christo Venter christo.venter@up.ac.za Prof Wynand Steyn wynand.steyn@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
The Transnet Freight Rail Chair in Railway Engineering The Transnet Freight Rail Chair in Railway Engineering focuses on research in the fields of track technology, track geotechnology, advanced laboratory testing, field investigations, maintenance management and models, as well as the numerical analysis of track structures. A range of research topics on rails, sleepers, fasteners, ballast and other track components are studied by undergraduate and postgraduate students in our Civil Engineering laboratory, which has recently acquired a 500 kN dynamic loading test frame. Apart from conventional ballast track, the Chair is also contributing to the development of non-conventional, ballastless track structures. Some of the most recent research topics include optical strain measurement with particle image velocimetry, track component deflection measurement with remote video monitoring, the determination of the stress-free temperature of continuously welded rails and the numerical modelling of track structures and wheel/rail interaction. Researchers also have access to railway test track that is 30 m in length on the University’s Experimental Farm. This track structure conforms to heavy haul requirements and was constructed by civil engineering students
with industry sponsorships. Aspects such as the effect of environmental factors on track performance, full-scale stress and strain testing, the evaluation of track earthworks under different loading conditions and substructure characterisation are investigated at the test track. A special vehicle with a total loading capacity of 40 tons/axle was constructed for load application on the test track. An economic life cycle model is currently under development to study the effect of maintenance, or lack thereof, in the railway industry. It is envisaged that the outcome of this study will emphasise the importance of planned and/or condition-based and reliability-centered maintenance as part of the extensive capital rail investment programmes by Transnet Freight Rail, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and the Gautrain. Contact person Prof Hannes Grabe hannes.grabe@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
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The Water Division The Water Division of the Department of Civil Engineering has achieved great heights in the development of hydropower in South Africa. With financial support from the Water Research Commission and the Department of Science and Technology, municipalities and water boards, the team has compiled various development guidelines and reports, constructed and implemented hydropower plants, held workshops and courses, published journal articles and book chapters, and received various accolades along the way. Contact person Marco van Dijk marco.vandijk@up.ac.za Centrifuge and Geotechnical Engineering In 2011, the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Pretoria received funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the University to purchase a geotechnical centrifuge. A geotechnical centrifuge is used to subject smallscale models of geotechnical problems to high accelerations. This is necessary to get the soil in the model to behave realistically because the stress-strain behaviour of soil is highly non-linear.
gravity (150 G). The centrifuge was manufactured by the French company, Actidyn, and was installed and commissioned in February 2012. A state-of-the-art centrifuge laboratory has been created in the basement of the civil engineering laboratory on the University’s Hatfield Campus. The laboratory was formally opened by the ViceChancellor and Principal, Prof Cheryl de la Rey, on 13 June 2012.
The geotechnical centrifuge is currently the biggest in the southern hemisphere and is only the second one in Africa. It is capable of accelerating models weighing up to one ton to 150 times the earth’s
Due to the model spinning around at high velocity, all measurements and observations on the model have to be done remotely using electronic sensors and modern data acquisition systems.
Therefore, centrifuge modelling is introducing a new dimension in terms of technology into the laboratory with new state-of-the-art electronic equipment. The primary purpose of the centrifuge is to conduct research on geotechnical, geological and mining problems. It is also available for commercial testing. Contact person Prof SW Jacobsz sw.jacobsz@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School for the Built Environment
The School for the Built Environment is the largest of its kind in the country. It covers the entire spectrum of programmes in the built environment and comprises three departments:
Department of Architecture The Department of Architecture is a flagship member of the University of Pretoria. Through internationally accredited programmes and a commitment to innovation, it promotes a sustainable and prospering South African society. The Department offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture. Highlights: Ms Stell Ndlahzi, Funding Manager of the National Heritage Council (NHC) launched the book Engraved landscape, Biesje Poort: many voices. Prof Roger Fisher was the co-editor and contributing author of this flagship project. Prof Karel Bakker, Prof Roger Fisher and Nicholas Clarke (co-editors and contributing authors) were awarded the Pretoria Institute for Architecture’s President’s Award for their recently published Eclectic ZA Wilhelmiens: a shared Dutch built heritage in South Africa. The project was co-funded by the Royal Dutch Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Department of Construction Economics The Department offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in construction management, real estate and quantity surveying, which are accredited with their respective local professional councils, as well as with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. The Department also has a strong relationship with the relevant professional associations and industry, and offers regular short courses aimed at skills development. Its research focus areas include green building, property valuation, costing models, construction law, procurement, construction project management, construction innovation, building information management and urban resilience.
The key research areas of the department are: Environmental potential Heritage and cultural landscapes Housing and urban environments
Highlights: Prof Chrisna du Plessis, in collaboration with Dr Dominique Hes of the University of Melbourne, launched a book, Designing for hope – pathways to regenerative sustainability, together with an accompanying documentary as part of a project funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Lindokhule Matsebula was awarded a Mandela Rhodes Scholarship for continuing his master’s degree study on environmental behaviour change in university facilities at the Department. Mr Danie Hoffman and Prof Chrisna du Plessis developed and presented a large-scale two-level training programme on infrastructure delivery management for National Treasury.
Contact person Prof Chrisna du Plessis chrisna.duplessis@up.ac.za
Contact person Prof Tinus Maritz tinus.maritz@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
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South African Council of Shopping Centres Chair The shopping centre has become a prominent feature and integral part of the modern urban landscape, occurring in widely divergent cultures and economies globally, and also in South Africa. South Africa has the sixth highest number of shopping centres in the world. Over 2 000 centres offer 23 million m2 of shopping space.
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The characteristics of shopping centres as complex systems, and the divergent and important role they fulfil in modern society, are being investigated in a wide range of research topics in the Department. Among others, shopping centres play a stimulating role in the development of previously underdeveloped areas. Non-metropolitan areas, as well as other African countries, have become target markets for big retailers in recent years. Retail development in tribal authority areas has been researched, as well as retail cannibalisation in Maseru, consumer behaviour in Soweto, the role of entertainment in shopping centres and the development of a strategic framework for the expansion of retailers in Africa. Another study established a positive relationship between entertainment, the retail image and the value of the mall. Trends in gender and race transformation in the shopping centre management industry have been presented at international conferences, as have surveys of the skills required of shopping centre managers.
More technical aspects investigated in recent years include the use of computerised maintenance management systems in shopping centres and sustainable facilities management practices. Sustainable and ‘green’ features of shopping centres are receiving increasing attention. Shopping centres form an important part of the real estate investment universe globally. South Africa is no exception: Listed property vehicles like real estate investment trusts (REITs) have traditionally afforded shopping centres a prominent role in their investment portfolios. Debt capital markets’ funding, as a significant component of REITs’ capital structure, was investigated in a recently completed MSc study. The Department has been actively involved in the training of shopping centre managers nationally since 1993, in association with the South African Council of Shopping Centres. More than 1 200 participants have benefitted from courses that range from intensive week-long training for budding managers to a year-long advanced course in strategic shopping centre leadership. In addition, in 2015, the Department played a leading role in the training of lawyers preparing for participation in the Commercial Lease Arbitration Tribunal, which is a first in South Africa. Contact person Prof Chris Cloete Chris.cloete@up.ac.za
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Key research areas School for the Built Environment
Department of Town and Regional Planning Environment Behaviour Studies This field is about the relationship between people and the environment, particularly people’s cognition, perception and attitudes in relation to various phenomena in the built environment. These phenomena include space, housing, transportation and municipal services, and cross-cutting issues, such as safety, sustainability and equity. Departmental research in this field aims to improve understanding of human preferences for planning/design interventions (typically preference surveys and needs-assessment studies) and human responses to planning/design interventions (typically phenomenological and ethnographical field studies, post-occupancy evaluations and social impact studies). Contact person Dr Jacques du Toit jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za Planning Methods and Techniques This research area focuses on the use of different planning methods and techniques under South African planning conditions. Methods typically include methods for the collection, organisation and presentation of information for the purposes of defining problems, identifying alternative responses, decision making and implementation. The role of research methods in planning constitutes a subfield. Techniques typically include specific technological means employed within methods, such as modelling, simulation and mapping.
Research in this field aims to improve our understanding of how different methods and techniques may improve planning. In addition, research aims to determine what methods and techniques are applicable for South African planning conditions. Contact person Dr Jacques du Toit jacques.dutoit@up.ac.za Safe and Sustainable Housing and Urban Spaces Research is done on different housing types and models that are relevant and applicable to achieve safer and more sustainable human settlements in the 20th century, especially in the South African context. Research also aims to determine the impact of specific types of housing developments and models on the ground, and the response to cross-cutting issues, such as safety, urban design, densification, socio-spatial integration, accessibility, spatial transformation and sustainability. Departmental research in this field aims to improve our understanding of the relevance and implications of different types of housing, such as gated communities (including enclosed neighbourhoods and security estates) and mediumdensity mixed housing to address the specific South African housing challenges. Contact person Dr Karina Landman karina.landman@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Strategic Development Planning This research concentrates on strategic and integrated development planning across all three spheres of government in South Africa, as well as the broader regional socio-economic challenges associated with development planning. Research in this field aims to improve our understanding of how to deepen democracy, enhance sustainable development planning and implementation across government spheres, and establish accountability measures and systems. In addition, research aims to determine the impact of development planning on the ground, and the response to cross-cutting issues such as youth, gender, HIV/Aids, local economic development and strategic development frameworks. Contact persons Prof Mark Oranje mark.oranje@up.ac.za Dr Johnny Coetzee johnny.coetzee@up.ac.za
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Heading Subheading
University of Pretoria
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Key research areas School of Information Technology School of Information Technology Department of Computer Science Computational Intelligence Prof Andries Engelbrecht’s main research focus is computational intelligence, with a particular interest in computational swarm intelligence, learning from zero knowledge using competitive coevolution, and evolutionary algorithms. His research team developed an open source library of computational intelligence algorithms, which is increasingly being used internationally. They were the first to provide convergence proofs of particle swarm optimisers (PSO), to develop PSO algorithms to find multiple solutions to optimisation problems and to use PSO for secondary RNA structure prediction. Contact person Prof A Engelbrecht (NRF A-rated researcher) engel@cs.up.ac.za Computer and Information Security Information and computer security is an important research field due to the fact that almost any software application dependends on information security principles, especially with the proliferation of cybercrime in the current day and age.
Prof Hein Venter is leading the Information and Computer Security Architectures (ICSA) Research Group with Prof Martin Olivier. The focus areas of ICSA include topics such as cyber security, access control, network security, and information privacy. Contact person Prof H Venter hventer@cs.up.ac.za Digital Forensics Prof Venter’s main research focus is digital forensics. His research team is engaged in a range of digital forensic research topics within the field, including new digital forensic techniques in the cloud, live forensics and standardisation of the digital forensic investigation process. The standard ISO 27043 – Incident Investigation Principles and Processes has been developed over the past few years as a result of the research of several researchers in his research group. It was published by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) in 2015. This standard is the first of its kind to be published by an international standardisation body, and governs all other ISO standards related to digital forensics and investigations.
Contact person Prof H Venter hventer@cs.up.ac.za Big Data Science South Africa, like any other country in the world, is exposed to so-called grand challenges. These grand challenges, most often, have a direct impact on the wellbeing of societies and relate to health, poverty and education. Consider, for example, the difficult task of seeking solutions to identify concerns and opportunities to provide electricity to all citizens of South Africa? These challenges deal with vast amounts of data (Big Data). Furthermore, intelligent techniques, such as machine learning, are needed to improve understanding of the terabytes of Big Data. It is against this background that this faculty, together with other faculties and departments in the University, started a multidisciplinary approach to bring together expertise from various disciplines. These disciplines include computer science, engineering and informatics. The focus is on the convergence of Big Data and Data Science, referred to as Big Data Science (BDS). The vision is to develop a world-class facility for research
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Key research areas School of Information Technology
and education that focuses on BDS tools, technologies, human capital development and innovation. Activities planned over the medium term include research and development in application domains such as image analysis, cyber security, biodiversity, computational biology, information fusion and the intelligent interpretation of Big Data resulting from building the world’s largest radio telescope (the SKA project in South Africa). Contact person Prof Jan Eloff eloff@cs.up.ac.za Computer Science Education Didactics and Applications The Computer Science Education Didactics and Applications Research (CSEDAR) group concentrates on good teaching strategies and the development of research-based software in the discipline of computer science. We believe that computer science education is a distinct subset of the conventional educational paradigm and has been neglected in the past. Computer science is a complex discipline that is both artistic and scientific, which results in a need for computer science education research. CSEDAR promotes research in computer science education. Contact person Dr L Marshall lmarshall@cs.up.ac.za
System Specifications and Formal Methods The System Specifications and Formal Methods (SSFM) research group in the Department of Computer Science operates in the intersection between the fields of theoretical computer science and software engineering. Within this intersection, a diversity of topics have been and are being researched. These topics include graph transformations, concurrent processes, theory of testing and model-checking. Software prototypes are programmed as empirical ‘proofs of concept’. Additionally, the group also has competence in science-philosophical considerations concerning the ontological, epistemological and methodological aspects of the discipline. Contact person Prof S Gruner sgruner@cs.up.ac.za Software Engineering and Software Architecture The scope of the Software Engineering and Software Architecture Research Group (SESAr) includes software architecture, model driven development and software engineering. Our focus includes the development of a method and a domain specific language for service-oriented application design and for software architecture design. SESAr explores design methods, description languages, model validation, as well as code, test and documentation generation. Contact person Dr F Solms fsolms@cs.up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
Department of Informatics Information Technology Management Information technology management is no longer limited to managing the systems development and operations environment of organisations. The strategic importance of IT management and the pivotal role of IT in the development of new products and services for organisations cannot be overemphasised. One of the key competencies of the future IT practitioner is the ability to be flexible and the ability to learn at a rapid pace. In this research area, the focus is on relevant areas such as IT strategy, service management, enterprise architecture and change management. Information Systems in Education In this focus area, research is conducted on the application of teaching and learning theories and techniques. The focus is also on the application of a socio-technical framework for understanding information system teaching and also failure in diverse settings. Particular emphasis is on the context and hence we have a particular interest in issues relating to developing countries. Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) In the ICT4D research theme the focus is on the critical debate and application of social and information system theories to culturally tailor ICT to bring about sustainable socio-economic development to impoverished communities. From a socio-economic perspective, we are interested in the ongoing development and scrutiny of various frameworks for facilitating the introduction of ICT to different developing communities for sustainable socio-economic development. Human-computer Interaction (HCI) In this focus area, researchers are focusing on different aspects of HCI. Although researchers are interested in the design and development of
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interfaces for information systems in a number of different domains, they are also interested in the combination of HCI and ICT in education. The combination enables researchers to approach the design of technology and interfaces for special user groups in a unique and innovative way. One of the focus areas is to focus on the aspects of design for the elderly and the economically disadvantaged. Contact person Prof Alta van der Merwe alta@up.ac.za
Department of Information Science The research focuses on the following: Knowledge Management and Competitive Intelligence Research in knowledge management focuses on the application of knowledge management principles as critical enablers to enhance innovation in companies, knowledge sharing via knowledge maps, communities of practice, new knowledge audit methodologies, sustainability of enterprise content management and the creation of knowledge-based learning environments. Research in competitive intelligence focuses on competitive intelligence analysis techniques used in South African, multinational companies and developing economies, as well as competitive intelligence skills needed to enhance Africa’s competitiveness. Contact person Prof ASA du Toit adeline.dutoit@up.ac.za.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Information Processes
Book and Publishing Studies
This includes research on workplace and advanced research information literacy, information services, information behaviour regarding palliative care, pain, affect and emotion, database development and metadata in e-dictionaries, e-publishing technologies, website development and usability studies, game theory and gamification.
This focus area has both a historical and a contemporary dimension. Annual book history conferences, supported by a research collaboration agreement with Oxford Brookes University, are helping to develop and extend an emerging network of scholars in this field.
Contact persons Prof I Fourie ina.fourie@up.ac.za Prof TJD Bothma theo.bothma@up.ac.za. Meta-context of Information This includes the philosophical, ethical, legal, political, and socio-economic contexts of information. Members of the Department have, for example, participated in the compilation of World Reports on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Access to Information, and produced research reports on internet censorship. Contact person Prof AL Dick archie.dick@up.ac.za
Contact person Dr EH le Roux beth.leroux@up.ac.za. Â African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics The Department houses the African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics (ACEIE), which focuses on research in information ethics in general, as well as on curriculum development for information ethics at university and school level. The ACEIE collaborates with many countries in Africa (universities, governments and non-governmental organisations), as well as with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), private companies and researchers in Europe and the USA. Contact person Mrs R Fischer rachel.fischer@up.ac.za
University of Pretoria
The Institute for Technological Innovation The research of the Institute for Technological Innovation (ITI) is focused on quantitative studies of science, technology and innovation policy, including assessments, international benchmarking and scientometrics. The ITI is particularly interested in multidisciplinary fields like energy and water. The ITI’s research has been informing and initiating a number of policy actions in the country. Examples include the introduction of tax incentives for research and development in the country, the linking of financial support to researchers who are rated by the NRF and the current recommendation in the draft intellectual property policy for the introduction of an examining approach in the country’s patent system. The ITI is one of the most prolific research institutes in its field in the country. Contact person Prof A Pouris anastassios.pouris@up.ac.za
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Outstanding facilities Heading Subheading
University of Pretoria
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Our commitment to academic and research excellence is backed by the highest quality facilities and equipment. In 2013, the Engineering 3 Building was the winner of the prestigious South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) Innovative Excellence Award. This building was also presented with the Salitrophy Award of Excellence – Bristle Cone Trophy for the most innovative and original use of plant material, as well as the Sali Gold Award of Excellence – Landscape Construction. In 2013, the Mining Industry Study Centre won the Southern African Institute Of Steel Construction (SAISC) Steel Award – special commendation in the architectural category. In 2014, it was nominated in SAPOA’s Refurbishment Category.
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Contact details
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology Student Administration (Head) Ms Liz Jones Tel +27 (0) 12 420 2676 Email liz.jones@up.ac.za
Marketing and Communication Ms Estie Powell Tel +27 (0) 12 420 4937 Email estie.powell@up.ac.za
Physical address: Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology | Room 7, Level 7, Engineering Building 1 | University of Pretoria | Lynnwood Road | Hatfield | Pretoria | South Africa Postal address: Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology | University of Pretoria | Private Bag X20 | Hatfield, Pretoria | 0028
Research Teaching and Learning
Town and Regional Planning
Deputy Dean:
Construction Economics
Deputy Dean:
Architecture
Dean
Computer Science
Information Science
Informatics
Engineering and Technology Management
Faculty Admin Support
Institute for Technological Innovation
Mining Engineering
Faculty Student Administration
Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering
Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Chemical Engineering
University of Pretoria 45
Management structure
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology Community-based Project
Chair Chair Chair Chair
School of Engineering Graduate School of Technology Management School of Information Technology School for the Built Environment
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The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology in a nutshell 2015/16
Heading Subheading
University of Pretoria
Cnr Lynnwood Road and Roper Street Hatfield South Africa Tel +27 (0)12 420 3111 Fax +27 (0)12 420 4555
www.up.ac.za/ebit