Research Overview
The disciplines of engineering and the built environment have a key role to play in improving the world we live in.
The disciplines of engineering and the built environment have a key role to play in improving the world we live in. Bringing our research in line with the developmental needs of society and industry guarantees that our work is highly relevant and attractive to funders.
Strategic areas of focus include benchmarking the reputation of our academic staff internationally through the National Research Fund rating system and registering staff with the Emerging Researcher Programme with the aim of developing researchers and increasing research output.
Read more about our active research groups or view research areas and contact information.
Read the UCT Research and Innovation Highlights Report 2020/2021 and View the Sustainability and the SDGs 2023 report.
Research innovation
EBE Talks
Dive into the cutting-edge world of EBE research with EBE Talks! The EBE Talks projects share their research findings through short videos, abstracts, and peer-reviewed articles. The studies were developed by individual researchers and/or research groups from the faculty.
Visit the website
The Menzi Design Lab
The Menzi Design Laboratory is envisioned to provide a world-class design and production environment to students and researchers,so that they can transform their ideas into prototypes and IP, using design for manufacture principles (DMF).
A space and environment for the UCT community to turn ideas into real, tangible objects, to collaborate, share-spaces, be creative, to tinker and learn.
For more information contact Yusuf Vawda, Menzi Design Laboratory Specialist on yusuf.vawda@uct.ac.za | 0826663222
Research News
Global Digital Heritage Afrika partners with UCT
In a move to preserve and democratise architectural heritage, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (EBE) has partnered with Global Digital Heritage Afrika (GDHA).
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Blue skies: UCT SARChI Chair leading in the global aviation industry
Professor Arnaud Malan and his team use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to support Airbus in their aircraft design. But CFD has wide applications and potential to grow the manufacturing industry in South Africa...
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Reimagining the African norm for smart cities
The unique challenges inherent in African cities demand a reframing of the “norm” of smart urbanism to ensure true transformation through technology, Professor Nancy Odendaal cautioned during her inaugural lecture to mark her promotion.
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Blowing things up for science
Professor Steeve Chung Kim Yuen’s inaugural lecture, titled “Urban blast loading: An insight into scaling” was held on Tuesday, 10 October, in the Snape Building and attended by his peers, family, students, and former students.
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Structural mechanics meet rheumatic heart disease and climate change
Professor Sebastian Skatulla threaded a scholarly needle by weaving structural mechanics, heart disease and climate change during his inaugural lecture at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Snape Building on 13 September.
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Ice-breaking research puts spotlight on UCT polar engineering team
UCT engineering scientists are taking the lead in a transdisciplinary research endeavour to unpack the annual cycle of sea ice advance and retreat in the Antarctica marginal ice zone from an engineering perspective.
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UCT hosts German Education and Research minister for updates on German-funded research projects
The Catalysis Institute at the University of Cape Town (UCT) recently hosted German Minister of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, [BMBF]), Bettina Stark-Watzinger, and Western Cape premier Alan Winde.
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Youth Month: UCT’s cyber security ace, Dr Daniel Ramotsoela
Dr Daniel Ramotsoela (31) – a senior lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering – has emerged as a finalist in this year’s “Science Oscars”, as the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) awards are known.
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Patel’s cheetah locomotion study gets major funding boost
Robotics and artificial intelligence can be used to great effect in Africa – especially if we, as Africans, can control the narrative, said A/Professor Amir Patel, the director of the African Robotics Unit (ARU).
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5G in healthcare: UCT researcher awarded African Google PhD fellowship
University of Cape Town (UCT) Electrical Engineering student Humphrey Owuor Otieno has been awarded the first African Google PhD Fellowship under the Systems and Networking subcategory.
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UCT team part of €40m ‘CARE-O-SENE’ SA–Germany project to decarbonise aviation
UCT is one of the partners in a €40 million three-year research project that aims to develop and improve next-generation catalysts that will play a large role in decarbonising the aviation sector by creating sustainable aviation fuels.
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