This week, Professor Babatunde Bakare, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, celebrated the remarkable achievement of Khaya Shabangu, who completed his doctoral degree. The uplifting news arrived on the morning of Friday, 16 May 2025, when the three examiners reports affirmed the awarding of the doctoral degree. Now, Dr Shabangu proudly becomes the fifth academic staff member from the Department of Chemical Engineering to be guided by Professor Bakare in achieving this milestone. Dr Shabangu’s dissertation, titled “Production of Electricity from Industrial Wastewater Treatment Using a Double Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC),” innovatively explored how wastewater treatment can produce electricity, highlighting the crucial role of double-chamber microbial fuel cells in tackling energy crises and environmental challenges. This groundbreaking work has already been presented at three international conferences in China and the United States and has been published in seven peer-reviewed journal articles.
Professor Bakare shared the inspiring journey of Dr Shabangu, who began his tenure at the University as an Industrial Technician in the Department of Chemical Engineering. In 2015, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Environmental Pollution and Remediation Research group. During this transformative period, Professor Bakare encouraged Dr Shabangu to pursue a Master’s degree, which he completed under his supervision. It is worth noting that all the research support afforded to Dr Shabangu by Professor Bakare and his four other colleagues throughout the years at MUT stands as a testament to his dedication to growing MUT’s timber and selflessness in mentoring others. In reflecting on the journey, Professor Bakare remarked, “I can say the Co-Supervisor is just for registration purposes since MUT does not offer postgraduate programmes”.