Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Accomplishments
Affiliations
Timeline
Hi, I’m

Refiloe Mokoena

Civil Engineer
Pretoria
Refiloe Mokoena

Summary

I'm currently a research civil engineer in the Pavement Design and Construction Research Group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and registered as a Candidate Professional Engineer with ECSA. My main area of research focus has been within the field of sustainable transport infrastructure, in particular climate resilient roads. I joined the CSIR in 2014 as a candidate researcher and have contributed to various multi-disciplinary projects, including road condition assessments aimed at providing maintenance and rehabilitation strategies and climate risk and vulnerability projects.

I'm a researcher who is often recognised as main point of contact to address research matters within sustainable transport infrastructure and have led multidisciplinary research teams and provided mentorship to junior staff. I'm also a detail-oriented team player with strong organizational skills. Given the nature of my research focus, I've learnt to be a strong collaborator and am comfortable working with professionals from various disciplines where my role as a researcher has often required me to translate complex computations and guidelines into easily digestible documentation.

Overview

12
years of professional experience
8
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Council For Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)

Senior Research Engineer
2023.01 - Current (1 year & 8 months)

Job overview

  • Set timelines and coordinated deliverables for R&D projects.
  • Produced R&D reports and publications.
  • Reviewed project documentation for accuracy, quality and compliance.
  • Optimized existing processes to improve pavement performance.
  • Conducted extensive design of experiments to target variables of interest.
  • Evaluated new road material products for purposes of product development.
  • Worked with pavement design software to analyze in-situ testing data.
  • Worked with management to evaluate future R&D projects and align with critical path schedule requirements.
  • Prepared conceptual procedures for R&D projects.
  • Oversaw fabrication, material procurement, and performance validation of computational models.
  • Operated computational analysis software and established numerical techniques to analyze climate data for resilient pavement materials.
  • Utilized fundamental knowledge of pavement engineering analysis tools and industry trends to carry out advanced research.
  • Led multi-disciplinary R&D pavement engineering projects.

Zutari (Secondment)

Candidate Pavement Engineer
2022.06 - 2022.12 (6 months)

Job overview

  • Reviewed technical drawings.
  • Wrote, reviewed and edited technical document in accordance with project requirements.
  • Pavement condition assessments.
  • BOQ estimates for road maintenance projects.
  • Gravel and concrete pavement analysis.
  • Pavement materials investigation for road rehabilitation projects.
  • Seal design.
  • Remaining service life determination.

Council For Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)

Research Engineer
2014.08 - 2022.06 (7 years & 10 months)

Job overview

  • Set timelines and coordinated deliverables for R&D projects.
  • Produced R&D reports and publications.
  • Formulated concrete mix designs to incorporate alternative materials.
  • Oversaw construction of demonstration sections for accelerated pavement testing.
  • Conducted extensive design of experiments to target variables of interest.
  • Coordinated laboratory testing programs for R&D projects.
  • Prepared conceptual designs and procedures for R&D projects.
  • Coordinated fabrication, material procurement, and performance validation of computational models.

Themba-Africa Consulting Engineers

Junior Structural Engineer
2012.07 - 2014.07 (2 years)

Job overview

  • Assisted draftsmen in developing structural designs computer-assisted design (CAD) software.
  • Completed accurate engineering calculations for structural loads using both manual and digital methods.
  • Designed structures for reinforced concrete and structural steel construction.
  • Performed design calculations for reinforced concrete and steel structures.
  • Produced bending schedules for various projects using AutoPADDS.
  • Defined Terms of Reference/Requests for Quotation from geotechnical engineers for construction of retail center.
  • Estimation of material quantities from technical drawings.
  • Liaison with contractors and architects on construction and design considerations.

Education

University of The Witwatersrand (WITS) , Johannesburg, South Africa

MEng (Civil Engineering) from Civil Engineering
2013.01 - 2015.12 (2 years & 11 months)

University Overview

Masters by Coursework:

  • Structural Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Project Management

University of The Witwatersrand (WITS) , Johannesburg, South Africa

BSc (Civil Engineering) from Civil Engineering
2007.01 - 2011.12 (4 years & 11 months)

Skills

    Construction materials testing and analysis

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Accomplishments

  • Featured in BBC Business article: “The engineers battling to stop global warming ruining roads”. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60197858.
  • Contributor and co-ordinator of Climate Change workshop for 2021 Southern African Transport Conference (SATC).
  • Recipient of Young Professional Award for best Paper at the 12th International Conference on Asphalt Pavements (2019) - Adapting asphalt pavements to climate change challenges.
  • Featured profile in South African Coal Ash Association publication (October 2019).
  • Featured profile in AsphaltNEWS publication (December 2019). https://www.sabita.co.za/wpcontent/uploads/2020/01/asphaltnews_november2019_web.pdf.
  • Recipient of CSIR Young Researcher Establishment Fund (2015 – 2018).

Affiliations

  • Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA); Registered Candidate Engineer (Membership No. 201250526).
  • South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE); Registered Member (Membership No. 20120978).
  • Consulting Engineers of South Africa (CESA) Young Professionals Forum (YPF) Gauteng South Committee member.
  • SANRAL Research Panel member
  • Chairperson of Climate Change Working Group - Sustainable Roads Forum (SuRF).

Timeline

Senior Research Engineer

Council For Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
2023.01 - Current (1 year & 8 months)

Candidate Pavement Engineer

Zutari (Secondment)
2022.06 - 2022.12 (6 months)

Research Engineer

Council For Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
2014.08 - 2022.06 (7 years & 10 months)

University of The Witwatersrand (WITS)

MEng (Civil Engineering) from Civil Engineering
2013.01 - 2015.12 (2 years & 11 months)

Junior Structural Engineer

Themba-Africa Consulting Engineers
2012.07 - 2014.07 (2 years)

University of The Witwatersrand (WITS)

BSc (Civil Engineering) from Civil Engineering
2007.01 - 2011.12 (4 years & 11 months)
Refiloe MokoenaCivil Engineer