Pro Vice-Chancellors
Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Research and Academic Affairs
Professor Yogi Naik
Prof Yogeshkumar (Yogi) Naik was born in Bulawayo and did his primary and secondary school education in Bulawayo (1964-1976). He later obtained a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and an MSc in Biochemistry 1976 and 1982 from the University of Bombay. Later, he obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe in 1989 and held a position there as a lecturer until 1998. During this time, he pursued research and teaching in the area of biomedical toxicology investigating the effects of therapeutic agents on enzyme activity in liver and kidney. He later began to research on the effects of pesticides and other pollutants on aquatic organisms.
In 1998, he moved to NUST and obtained grants between 1999 and 2014 from the International Foundation for Science (Stockholm), International Science Programs of Uppsala University (Sweden) as well as from DfID (UK). As a result, a lab dedicated to ‘ecotoxicology’ was established in 1999 at NUST- the ‘Ecotoxicology Laboratory’. The lab has focused on the effects of environmental pollutants such as pesticides, plastics and metals on aquatic organisms. One of his current key interests is the effects of heavy metals, such as mercury and lead on such organisms. The recent research interests have also focused on ‘endocrine disrupters’ and ‘genotoxic agents’ in aquatic reservoirs/waterways around Bulawayo. Over the years, ‘The Ecotoxicology Group’ has supported a number of MPhil and PhD graduates as well as numerous undergraduate students.
In 1998, he moved to NUST and obtained grants between 1999 and 2014 from the International Foundation for Science (Stockholm), International Science Programs of Uppsala University (Sweden) as well as from DfID (UK). As a result, a lab dedicated to ‘ecotoxicology’ was established in 1999 at NUST- the ‘Ecotoxicology Laboratory’. The lab has focused on the effects of environmental pollutants such as pesticides, plastics and metals on aquatic organisms. One of his current key interests is the effects of heavy metals, such as mercury and lead on such organisms. The recent research interests have also focused on ‘endocrine disrupters’ and ‘genotoxic agents’ in aquatic reservoirs/waterways around Bulawayo. Over the years, ‘The Ecotoxicology Group’ has supported a number of MPhil and PhD graduates as well as numerous undergraduate students.
In 2008, Prof Naik took up a new position as the Director of the ‘Research and Innovation Office’ at NUST. The office has arranged workshops, seminars and training courses to support early career researchers. Since 2019, the office has taken on the function of ‘internationalisation’. It has also developed policies for research and research ethics. Through acquiring grants, staff and students have been able to benefit from short term exchange visits as well as MSc and PhD training.
Over the years, Prof Naik has held positions on committees of professional, scholarly and research management societies. He has received awards for research, environmental education and research management for the contributions that he has made.
In January 2020, Prof Naik was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for ‘Research and Academic Affairs’ at NUST. During his three-year term, he intends to enhance the collaborative research output with national and regional partners. In addition, his vision is to make education more accessible to potential university students through distance learning.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Innovation & Business Development
Dr. William Msekiwa Goriwondo
Dr William Msekiwa Goriwondo is a registered Professional Engineer with an MSc. degree in Manufacturing Systems & Operations Management as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Administration. He has a proven track record of technical, engineering, operational and strategic leadership, spanning all the way from year 1997, in industry, academia and consultancy. He started his working career in 1997 as Graduate Engineer at BP and Shell Marketing Services before being promoted to become Plant Engineer. Dr Goriwondo then proceeded to be promoted to positions in Continuous Improvement Management, Health Safety and Environmental Management and finally became the Engineering Services Manager for the BP and Shell Marketing Services and Castrol Zimbabwe.
In 2004, he then joined Turnall Fibre Cement as Production Manager where he was responsible for the Sheeting Plant as well as the Pipe Plant. Dr Goriwondo left industry in 2006 to join academia at the National University of Science and Technology in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. He worked as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), a Senior Lecturer, Researcher and an Engineering & Management Consultant.
He is Member of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe (IoDZ), Fellow and Board member of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (ZIE). Dr Goriwondo is a researcher with over 25 peer-reviewed publications (Google Scholar h-index of 6) as well as several other technical newspaper articles. He has won prestigious national and International awards such as the K.G Stevens Awards and the Global Engineering Education Award for his work on Project Management and Engineering Education respectively. He has recently been appointed to the ZISCOSTEEL Advisory Committee on technical issues.
In May 2021, Dr Goriwondo was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development. In his tenure, he intends to harness technologies as provided for by Industry 4.0 (Forth Industrial Revolution) in Education 5.0. He aspires to see NUST as the Centre of Excellence in provision of Innovative Solutions.
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