Page 43 - DUT Excellence Semester 2

MAGUBANE’S BOOK EXPLORES LOVEIN THE ERA OF
Speaking about what the extension of the SARChI means for DUT, Prof Bux said: “Firstly it substantiates DUT’s contributions to the water sector and achieving the objectives of the SARChI Chair over the first two terms. The renewed funding is a testament to the hard work and effort of all team members of the IWWT. It is an affirmation of the support we have received from the university. It reflects a deepening of research at DUT and its commitment and values as becoming a research-intensive university.”
Upon hearing the news of the renewal of the Chair, Prof Bux said he was ecstatic they secured funding to support the IWWT activities for the next five years. Based on their achievements over the last five years, he noted that he did not doubt that the chair would be renewed.
The Chair has been very successful, not only in terms of research deliverables but also in infrastructural and human capacity development.The Chair has contributed to student mentoring and supervision, it also provides a place for recent PhDs who have been mentored with a chance to co-supervise, work in a research team and produce high-quality outputs.
Since 2018, the SARChI funding has supported 18 postgraduate students (six Doctoral, six Master’s and six B Tech students) supervised by Prof Bux. Several graduates have gone on to positions in industry with some continuing to higher degrees and postdoctoral fellowships.
“To achieve our goals, IWWT has a number of large-scale research projects that are at various stages. Projects are conducted in consultation with multiple stakeholders including municipalities to ensure project value and impact. The Chair has very strong links
with Industry both at the regional and national level including local government. The majority of the postgraduate students attended and presented their findings at national and international conferences. Since 2018, they have participated in 35 conferences. In terms of institutional impact, >120 publications in high-impact journals and 11 book chapters were published in the last five years. The Chair was able to leverage funding from other agencies like the Water Research Council (WRC), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), JICA-SATREPs and bilateral grants between various external partners.The Chair helped leverage third stream income which is assisting in supporting students and the research running costs,” said the elated Prof Bux.
In the next five years, Prof Bux highlighted that they will continue to provide hands-on training to students and working professionals with the latest techniques and instrumentation. In addition, he proudly added that students working within the Chair have co- authored manuscripts in leading ISI journals.
The former Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research Innovation and Engagement at DUT, Professor Sibusiso Moyo said:“Congratulations to Prof Bux and the entire DUT Support Team that have made sure we succeed in this area by ensuring we recruit the best students, postdocs, researchers to contribute in this area. Thank you in particular of course to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Thandwa Zizwe Mthembu for his unwavering support even when hard decisions had to be taken to ensure the Chair thrives. I Wish DUT, Prof Bux and the Chair another successful five years! Beyond that the Chair must become a fully fledged spin-off company and provide services to the water sector and the higher education sector as well.”
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DUT EXCELLENCE 2022 // SEMESTER 2