Municipal Engineer Connecting Academia & Industry

Name: Joshua Ayomikun Matesun (he/him)

PhD: Civil Engineering, University of Cape Town, 2025

What is your current job?

I am a Municipal Engineer for JG Afrika, located in Cape Town, South Africa.

The core of my work is mainly focused on wastewater process engineering:

• Collaborated with the municipal team in conducting process audits for eight wastewater treatment works in Cape Town, identifying operational inefficiencies and compliance gaps (effluent and sludge).

• Developed detailed process flow diagrams (PFDs) and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) for infrastructure projects, collaborating with instrumentation and mechanical engineers to ensure accuracy including Hammarsdale Class C water pump station, rotating biological contactor plants, and full-scale conventional activated sludge works.

• Evaluated effluent compliance for treatment works, utilizing regulatory standards to assess performance and recommend improvements.

• Performed condition assessments of process units, focusing on critical civil, mechanical and electrical components.

• Conducted capacity analyses and proposed strategic upgrades to address future demands.

• Authored comprehensive reports with actionable recommendations for process optimization and process auditing of 8 wastewater treatment works: Borcherds Quarry, Athlone, Cape Flat, Bellville, Wesfleur (domestic and industrial works), Llandudno, Millers Point, and Oudekraal.

• Achieved steady-state process model calculations for Wesfleur (MLE and UCT systems), and Athlone D-works (BNR AS) using their corresponding wastewater input parameters.

• Contributed towards the ongoing Borcherds Quarry Inlet Works Project, especially the scoping and feasibility report stages.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

Conducting process audits to help identify operational inefficiencies and compliance gaps in wastewater treatment works. This allows me to engage in problem-solving, collaborate with teams, and have a direct impact on improving the efficiency and compliance of multiple treatment works, which is highly rewarding.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

There's no particular skill that was more outstanding than the others. However, I have been applauded for critical thinking, problem-solving, data analysis and interpretation, technical reporting, process calculation and modelling, and time management.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

The MSc(Eng) degree from the University of Cape Town drilled and prepared me which made things easier during the PhD program. We all know that practice makes progress (not perfect) which I'd say played out for me.

The continuous exposure to these systems especially during the PhD program made work easy and smooth. This brings me to the point that 'no knowledge is a waste, you just need to find the right place to apply them. Why is this so? Because your implemented knowledge translates to value, especially where it is welcomed.'

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

Referral from PhD supervisor and industrial affiliate.

PhD candidate ➡️ Municipal Engineer

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

Find the relevant industrial toolset, learn those skills and prepare for the opportunities while learning, and build a strategic network through collaborations, social and professional events.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

My ultimate career goal guided my decision to pivot from academia to industry. Aspiring to become an engineering consultant and entrepreneur, gaining practical industry experience became essential to achieving my objectives. Moreover, it's time to leverage my expertise to connect academia and industry, fostering collaboration and real-world impact.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

1. Build a network outside academia

2. Nurture the relationships in academia

3. Find the meeting point between academia & industry

4. Know what skills to acquire to fit in

And for those interested, what was your main area of research?

My research aimed to create a model to understand how harmful micropollutants (MPCs)—including 13 target metals (TMs), 5 emerging contaminants (ECs), and their breakdown products—behave during wastewater treatment, using a setup mimicking Cape Town’s Bellville treatment plant.

Advanced tools like microwave plasma spectrometry (for metals) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (for CECs and their byproducts) were used to detect and measure these pollutants. Experiments under oxygen-rich (aerobic) and oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions helped determine how quickly these pollutants break down, refining parameters for South Africa’s standard wastewater treatment model (PWM_SA). The study found that conventional treatment methods effectively remove metals through processes like adsorption and precipitation but struggle to eliminate persistent CECs and their byproducts.

These results highlight critical gaps in standard wastewater treatment systems, particularly in tackling complex, long-lasting contaminants that threaten environmental and public health.