UKZN Academic Appointed to National Engineering Council
Professor David Lokhat has been appointed to the Engineering Council of South Africa’s (ECSA) 7th Term Governing Council, joining a select group of engineers presiding over the standards, ethics and advancement of engineering professions and disciplines nationwide.
Lokhat is the African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) Chair in Sustainable Engineering and Process Intensification, and Academic Leader in Chemical Engineering at UKZN.
Appointed to the Engineering Council by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean Macpherson, Lokhat joins the Governing Council comprising 50 members from diverse sectors of the engineering community for a four-year term. Council members work to guide and shape the regulatory framework of engineering professions in South Africa, and contribute to the work of ECSA, upholding registration standards for engineers and technologists, developing policy, establishing codes of conduct and deciding on disciplinary procedures, and accrediting engineering programmes.
In his role on the ECSA Governing Council, Lokhat will also help align ECSA’s work with public interest, transformation, safety, and global best practice in engineering. Appointment to the council also expands Lokhat’s network for collaboration and his influence within his profession. Being on the Governing Council will contribute to serving broader society through ECSA’s vital work of ensuring that engineering solutions meet societal and infrastructural needs.
This appointment signifies notable national recognition of the young academic’s expertise, leadership and standing. Lokhat also recently began a term on the executive committee of the prestigious South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), where he, as co-chair, joins four other academics in steering the academy that represents young scientists across South Africa.
Lokhat has gained considerable recognition for his research and leadership profile in engineering and applied sciences – he received the 2023 Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award, recognising academic excellence, notable research contributions, a sustained record of scholarship and creativity, and evidence of innovation and impact in the work of staff under 40.
He received the Federation of African Engineering Organisations 2024 Research Award for his research addressing industrial and academic challenges in the advancement of his field, with particular recognition of his work developing novel heterogeneous coagulating agents for front-end water treatment.
He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers as well as the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers, and an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences.
He is an editor for the South African Journal of Chemical Engineering and serves on the advisory board of the South African Journal of Science.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Supplied
