²ÝÁñÊÓƵ (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) Rector Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala has been awarded an honorary doctorate by South Africa's University of Pretoria (UP). The distinction honours his significant global contributions as a world-renowned engineer, artificial intelligence (AI) researcher, and higher education leader.
Recognized as one of South Africa's most-prolific and most-cited researchers, Prof. Marwala has some 25 books and more than 500 articles to his name. He is a University of Pretoria alumnus, having completed his master's degree in mechanical engineering there in 1997.
In making the presentation, Prof. Wynand Steyn, Dean of UP¡¯s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, lauded Prof. Marwala¡¯s commitment to "using his engineering and leadership skills to help make South Africa, Africa and the world at large better place". He noted that "Prof Marwala¡¯s ability to bridge academia, industry and government has made him a sought-after advisor and thought leader, contributing to policy development and strategic initiatives in the higher education sector¡±.
On receiving the honorary doctorate, Prof. Marwala credited UP with not only honing his technical skills, but also his thinking about innovation that serves society.
