Civil Engineering May 2022 | Vol 30 No 4

36 May 2022 Civil Engineering T hroughout his career, Denis has worked passionately towards educating the younger genera- tion about the importance of studying geotechnical engineering and its practical relevance in South Africa, as well as throughout Africa. “I am passionate about teaching, espe- cially geotechnical engineering because of the sheer impact one can make in the area which was considered by many as a diffi- cult and boring field of civil engineering,” says Denis. “I feel that I have made my contribu- tion in preparing the next generation to lead the discipline of geotechnical engineering in the civil engineering industry in Africa. They are owning the geotechnical engineering space wherever they go, across Africa and beyond,” he says proudly. ACADEMIC CAREER Denis obtained a BSc in Civil Engineering (Hons) from Makerere University in Uganda before going on to obtain an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. As a British Commonwealth Scholar, he then completed his PhD degree in geotechnical engineering at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK and held a postdoctoral position at Newcastle University. Today he is an Associate Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in UCT’s Department of Civil Engineering and is currently the Director of Postgraduate Studies and the head of the university’s Geotechnical Engineering Division. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Denis’ work at UCT is a testament to his passion for teaching and research. Not only did he found UCT’s Geotechnical Engineering Division, but he also devel- oped the curriculum for and convenes two of the division’s postgraduate programmes, namely Master of Science in Civil Engineering Specialising in Geotechnical Engineering and Master of Geotechnical Engineering (Professional Masters). The latter is a coursework-based master’s degree suitably serving working professionals. Both programmes have gained popu- larity and have run successfully for many years, attracting many civil engineering, geologist, and engineering geologist ap- plicants from across the continent. Denis has also mentored and inspired many young geotechnical engineering students and professionals as well as supervised over 50 master’s and PhD students to graduation. Three of the dissertations he super- vised went on to win the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Barry van Wyk Award, which is presented annually to the author of the best final year dissertation on a geotechnical topic at a South African university. Another dissertation won the 3 rd National Investigative Project Showdown for South African universities’ civil engineering de- partments. The competition is an annual SAICE flagship event that brings together the crème de la crème from the leading universities across South Africa. “Many of my students have gone on to become leaders and doers of great things in their space. Several have been inspired and mentored to become full academics in their own right in South Africa, Namibia, Rwanda, Benin, Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya,” he says. Geotechn i cal Eng i neer i ng | Prof i le Denis Kalumba joins a “galaxy of geotechnical stars” A passionate teacher, Prof. Denis Kalumba has built an impressive academic career in geotechnical engineering. His many achievements led to him being awarded the 2021 SAICE Geotechnical Gold Medal. Prof. Denis Kalumba, recipient of the 2021 SAICE Geotechnical Gold Medal Denis at the University of Cape Town’s Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory