Chemical Engineering Professor Earns Multiple Accolades

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Professor David Lokhat, the African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) Chair in Sustainable Engineering and Process Intensification, Full Professor and Academic Leader in Chemical Engineering, is celebrating several awards and appointments that recognise his research and leadership profile in engineering and applied sciences.

Lokhat was awarded the 2023 Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award at UKZN’s research awards evening in December.

This annual accolade celebrates 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.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Nana Poku congratulated Lokhat, praising his dedication to advancing knowledge and contributing to UKZN’s commitment to academic excellence and African scholarship.

In 2024, the ARM Chair was officially launched, marking the culmination of work led by Lokhat in his Reactor Technology Research Group since 2013.

The Chair focuses on process intensification and the development of advanced materials for use in chemical reactors and separators.

The purpose of the Chair in Sustainable Engineering and Process Intensification is to produce world-class process engineering postgraduates and future industry leaders to support the minerals sector and broader industry into a sustainable future.

In September 2024, the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO) awarded Lokhat the continental Research Award for his research addressing industrial and academic challenges and advancing his field significantly.

His work on the development of novel heterogeneous coagulating agents for front-end water treatment was cited as an exceptional contribution.

In October 2024, Lokhat was elected a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers at the society’s annual conference in Abuja.

The Council admitted him to the fellowship cadre based on his sustained contributions to the chemical engineering profession in Africa and abroad.

A UKZN alumnus, Lokhat completed his master’s cum laude and received awards for work done and patented during his PhD.

Lokhat is an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and was named one of the 20 most influential chemical and engineering researchers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by the Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research (I&EC Research) journal.

He previously received the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers (SAIChE) Innovation Award and is a Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders in Innovation Fellow

He is a past President and Fellow of SAIChE and is a rated scientist with the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

Lokhat also serves as an editor for the South African Journal of Chemical Engineering and on the advisory board of the South African Journal of Science.

Lokhat has ranked among UKZN’s top 10 young published researchers and top 30 published researchers, and he received the University’s Distinguished Teachers’ Award in 2021.

He has supervised 13 doctoral and 29 master’s students, published 75 journal papers, 14 peer-reviewed conference papers, and 13 book chapters, and has edited one book.

Words: Christine Cuenod

Photograph: Supplied