Journey to PhD spans five decades
A JOURNEY spanning five decades, filled with many highlights and lowlights along the way, has reached completion with Dr Chris Brouckaert graduating with a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the grand age of 74.
Brouckaert is the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s oldest graduate in the 2022 Spring graduation season.
Brouckaert began his academic career back in 1967, when he registered as an undergraduate student alongside the late Professor Chris Buckley. Unbeknownst to him, Buckley – who headed UKZN’s world-renowned Pollution Research Group (now the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Research & Development Centre) for many years until his untimely death in 2021 – would become his lifelong colleague and mentor.
On the completion of his undergraduate degree, Brouckaert registered for postgraduate studies but was unable to complete them at the time. Instead, he became a lecturer in chemical engineering at the then University of Natal. In 1990, he was offered a contract research post in the Pollution Research Group, headed by his old friend, Chris Buckley.
When asked what inspired him to complete a PhD post retirement, his laconic response was: “This was my third attempt, the first being in 1972; so my age at completion is largely a reflection of poor strategy and time management”.
Brouckaert’s dissertation is based on a series of five papers published in Water SA that set out a framework and methodology for the mathematical modelling of bioprocesses that have significant interactions with inorganic aqueous physicochemical processes. The papers represent a distillation of modelling experience of the Water Research Group (WRG) at the University of Cape Town, and the Pollution Research Group (now the WASH R&D Centre) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, over some 15 years of collaboration.
“Chris Brouckaert’s affiliation to our department stretches back many decades,” said academic leader for chemical engineering at UKZN, Professor David Lokhat.
“He was instrumental in developing a number of our undergraduate courses, lectured within our programme, and has mentored and guided many of our postgraduate students on water related projects.
“His PhD was very well received by his examiners, with one commenting that he had never before granted a doctorate without recommending any adjustments testament to the excellent body of work that Chris has been involved in for a long time here at UKZN.
“We can only hope that some of his talent has rubbed off on the next generation. This PhD has been a long time coming for Chris, but I imagine nonetheless most fulfilling for a career dedicated to chemical engineering.”