Doctoral Training in Engineering : Developing Indigenous Capacities and Skills for Economic Growth in Industrialising Countries

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of Engineering Education in industrialising countries, with Southern Africa as the case study, benchmarked on institutions from the industrialised world, with UK institutions as the reference. This was motivated by the perennial shortage of engineers and engineering skills to drive industry in Southern Africa, compounded by the mismatch of skills between those produced by tertiary institutions and those required by industry. This book focuses on the insufficiencies in training, through addressing the gap where the majority of engineering academics’ qualifications at MSc/MEng level fall short of the internationally acceptable PhD/DEng/DTech. In order to address such insufficiencies, the book proposes and advocates for reskilling and doctoral training of engineering academics through the proposed and established DTCs within the region. The book is targeted at graduate students, engineering academics, researchers, university administrators, foreign aid agencies, captains of industry and policy-makers in governments. To all these readers, the book offers:

Professor Wilson R. Nyemba is in the Department of Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe with over 30 years of experience both in industry and academia. He designed and developed a wide range of engineering products in different capacities in industry from product development to engineering management. He also formulated and led a number of successful ventures at the University of Zimbabwe where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. He also served as Chairman of WaterNet and Project Manager for the Royal Academy of Engineering projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is an accomplished consultant and researcher with interests in Engineering Education, Capacity Building and Sustainability, Systems Thinking and Modelling as well as Computer Aided Engineering Design and Manufacture. He has successfully secured and managed several grants for various national and regional projects of strategic importance, most of which were aimed at improving the quality of engineering education and practice in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor Nyemba holds a BSc Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, an MSc degree (Distinction) in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from the University of Warwick in England and a Doctor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He has authored and published over 50 peer reviewed papers in journals and conference proceedings as well as several consultancy reports. Through his collaboration with Dr. Keith F. Carter on the Royal Academy of Engineering projects they authored the book, “Bridging the Academia Industry Divide”, together with Professor Charles Mbohwa, which was published by Springer in 2021. He has also authored the book, “Computer Aided Design: Engineering Design and Modelling using AutoCAD”, published by CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group in 2022. He has received several awards and recognitions for outstanding research. Professor Nyemba is a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers and a registered Professional Engineer.

Dr. Keith F. Carter is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers as well as being a chartered Nuclear Engineer and a chartered Naval Architect. Keith has been associated with the Royal Academy of Engineering for a number of years, having been a member of the HEP SSA and TSP steering committees. He is a director and principal consultant for Keimar Consultancy in Leicester, England. Initially, Keith held a research post at the University of Leicester for 15 years working on novel assessment methods for the structural integrity of high temperature components. Over the last 20 years, Keith has been associated with a wide variety of engineering projects for Rolls-Royce at Derby, England in both the nuclear marine and aerospace divisions principally specializing in structural integrity issues. He has also carried out other significant projects in a variety of fields, including the analysis of AGR graphite cores for British Energy (EDF).

Dr. Carter holds the post of Honorary Visiting Fellow within the School of Engineering at the University of Leicester in England, bringing in considerable engineering and industrial experience to the teaching of students and various research projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Statistical Mechanics and the molecular theory of liquids using computer simulation, both from the Royal Holloway College, University of London. He has authored over 30 academic papers and numerous reports for client companies, particularly Rolls-Royce and Nuclear Electric. As well as this, Dr Carter has co-authored a book, “Bridging the Academia Industry Divide” with Professor Nyemba and Professor Mbohwa.