Fuzzy Logic Dynamics and Machine Prediction for Failure Analysis

Tawanda Mushiri is a holder of BSc Mechanical Engineering (UZ), Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems and Operations Management (MSOM) (UZ) a D.Eng. in Engineering Management (U.J) of machinery monitoring systems in 2017. He is currently a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe teaching Machine Dynamics, Robotics, Solid Mechanics and Finite Element Analysis. He is also the Chairman of “The Students Paperette Competition”. The aim of the competition is to promote innovation and practical engineering solutions through student projects. The competition draws a single final year candidate from each of the six disciplines in the Faculty of Engineering namely Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Geoinformatics and Surveying, Mining and Metallurgy and one other student from the Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of Zimbabwe. He is also the coordinator of Undergraduate projects and Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems and Operations Management (MSOM). Tawanda has supervised more than 100 students’ undergraduate projects and 1 Masters Student to completion. He has also published 1 book, 2 chapters in a book, 9 journals in highly accredited publishers and over 60 conferences in peer reviewed publishers. He has done a lot of commercial projects at the University of Zimbabwe. He is a reviewer of 4 journals highly accredited. He has been invited as a keynote speaker in workshops and seminars. Beyond work and at a personal level, Tawanda enjoys spending time with family, travelling and watching soccer.

Charles Mbowhwa is an NRF-rated established researcher and professor in the field of sustainability engineering and energy focusing on green technology, energy and systems. In January 2012 he was confirmed as an established researcher making significant contribution to the developing fields of sustainability and life cycle assessment. He has contributed a chapter to a state-of-the-art book by experts in energy efficiency. In addition, he has produced high quality body of research work on Southern Africa. Since 2012 he has worked on sustainability engineering with emphasis on integration of other soft aspects like humanitarian logistics and health care systems. The work also encompasses and integrates energy systems, life cycle assessment and bio-energy/fuel feasibility and renewable energy. He was a Japan Foundation Fellow in 1996/1997 at the International University of Japan studying technology transfer in a sustainable manner. This is the most prestigious Japanese fellowship normally reserved for postdoctoral fellows. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology investigating the development of sustainable supply chains models in engineering organisations. The approaches developed have applications outside engineering. He has presented at numerous conferences and published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, 13 book chapters and two books. He holds a BSc Honours in Mechanical Engineering (University of Zimbabwe) 1986, a Masters in Operations Management and Manufacturing Systems (University of Nottingham) 1992 and a Doctor of Engineering (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology). He is a professional mechanical engineer registered with the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe and is a fellow of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers. He was a mechanical engineer in the National Railways of Zimbabwe from 1986 to 1991; lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and joined the University of Johannesburg as a senior lecturer in 2007. He rose to the professorship levels since then and in July 2014, was appointed as the Vice-Dean: Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. He has been a collaborator to the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme and Visiting Exchange Professor at Federal University of Technology - Paraná, Brazil. He is an active member of the United Nations Environment Programme / Society of Environmental and Toxicology and Chemistry Life Cycle Initiative where he has served on many taskforce teams. He is one of the authors of the international guidelines on life cycle assessment databases and has been an expert reviewer on life cycle assessment methodology development. He has been invited to be a founding member of the Social Life Cycle Assessment Alliance coordinated by the World Resources Forum, which will focus, among many other things, on social impacts of sustainable recycling. He has also visited many countries on research and training engagements including the United Kingdom, Japan, German, France, the USA, Brazil, Sweden, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mauritius, Austria, the Netherlands, Uganda, Namibia and Australia. His service to the research and professional communities includes being a board member of the African Roundtable in Sustainable Consumption and Production; Membership of the African Life Cycle Assessment Network: and Membership of the African Energy Policy Research Network. He has worked with the Southern African Network for Training and Research on the Environment; and was a member of the organising committee of many conferences including the International Conference on Infrastructure Development and the Environment held in Abuja and the International Federation of Operations Research Societies International Conference to be held in Johannesburg in 2008. He was listed in the Who is Who in Science and Engineering since 2011 and is an African Scientific Institute member by invitation since 2011. He is a reviewer for many journals including the following: Cleaner Production; International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment; International Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Energy and Fuels; Bio-resource Technology; Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management and Environmental Science and Technology and International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa. Professor Mbohwa’s fundamental work has been focused on the development of methodologies for life cycle assessment- from an environmental and economic and social point of view with interdisciplinary applications grounded in engineering. He has assisted to develop methodologies, database guidelines and has become an established international expert and reviews in this field. He has received several awards for his research papers at international conferences, including Special Commendation and several best track paper awards at the prestigious IEEE Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management conferences; Best paper and best track paper awards for World Congress on Engineering Conferences and best track and session papers for International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management. He has together with his research group contributed substantially to the research outputs of the University of Johannesburg. Between 2012 and 2014 he published 14 journal papers; 5 of journals published in had impact factor 3 and above and one of journals has impact factor 5.9. In 2015 7 journal papers have been published by his research group and one is in press. Approximately 60 conference papers have been either published or accepted. One book has been published and 4 book chapters have been accepted. Two book contracts have been signed. In total, as at 27th December 2015, his Scopus h-index was 7. He had 74 documents picking on Scopus. 11 documents in 2015; 23 documents in 2014; and 16 documents in 2013. His citations on Scopus have steadily increased from 8 for 2012 only; to 15 for 2013; 26 for 2014. There are 35 citations for 2015 and 5 in 2016. Professor Mbohwa has successfully supervised 4 postdoctoral fellows. One of the postdoctoral fellows supervised Dr. Agata Lo Giudice has attained Associate Professor status in the highly competitive Italian environment. She has published a journal paper in a 5.9 impact factor journal recently. The other Dr Anup Pradhan also published a paper in an impact factor 5.9 journal and managed to source R1.5 million external funding. The third postdoctoral fellow Dr Edoun, has published 6 journal papers in one year and one of the papers appears on Scopus already. The fourth one Dr Aboyade, has left after assisting to cement a CoJ R6 million funding programme. Through his collaboration with Professors Valerie Thomas and Bhavik Bakshi he has informally supervised 11 doctoral students at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Ohio State University in the USA. He is an active member and doctoral students supervisor of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis. This is one the most prestigious research institutes worldwide having been formed to enable the collaboration of the best scientists in the Eastern and Western blocs during the Cold War era. He has successfully supervised 7 doctoral students during their summer programmes and one of them Dr. Tindall from the USA was the best student internationally in this programme. He has many UJ students completing doctoral students and one of them Mr Michael Mutingi, has been in the FEBE top ten researchers by units submitted to DHET in 2013 and in 2014. He has published one book, more than 13 book chapters, more than 45 accredited conference papers and 3 subsidised journal papers. His current Scopus h-index is 5 with 39 documents picking up on Scopus. Professor Mbohwa has successfully supervised more than 30 Master’s students. All UJ Master’s students have published at least one conference paper. One of them is a successful research scientist at CSIR and has published two journal papers, one of them in an impact factor 3 and above journal.