Prof David Lokhat the Research Chair in Sustainable Engineering and Process Intensification at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a full professor and head of the department of Chemical Engineering at the same institution. He has been actively engaged in the advocacy and promotion of chemical engineering as a discipline, serving as a past president of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers (SAIChE) and contributing widely to science engagement and diplomacy. He is the incumbent co-chair of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), a Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders in Innovation Fellow and an affiliate of the African Academy of Science. He is also a fellow of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers.