Top achiever Sayed Rahiman after obtaining his Master’s in chemical engineering degree. Picture: Mnqobi Ngobese
Durban — A Phoenix resident bagged his third Dean’s Merit Award for his Master’s in chemical engineering.
When Sayed Rahiman, 34, obtained his Master’s in chemical engineering with the Dean’s Merit Award at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2024 Spring Graduation Ceremony last week, it became his third time obtaining the Dean’s Merit Award for his sterling academic excellence.
In 2011, Rahiman received the Dean’s Merit Award for his diploma and in 2013, he received it for his BTech qualification in chemical engineering.
His academic excellence can be attributed to hard work and dedication.
Having to work a full-time job, being a husband and a father of two children and still managing to excel in his academics is a milestone.
Rahiman shared how excited he was for his Dean’s Merit Award achievement and his appreciation for the support from his family and supervisors throughout his studies.
“I would like to firstly thank the Creator for providing me with the gift of life and the resources to persevere through the many challenges that I faced. Furthermore, I would like to thank my family, my supervisors (Prof Rathilal and Steve Davis), and team SMRI,” Rahiman said.
Rahiman’s DUT journey began in 2008 and he never looked back.
He also showed appreciation for the DUT community for their support throughout his career.
“I was afforded the opportunity to study under brilliant lecturers such as Prof Rathilal, Prof Pillay, Ms Vallabh, Mr Pillay, Prof Ramsaroop and many others,” Rahiman said.
Rahiman is a senior research assistant in the SMRI’s Technology Development research group. His research title was: Assessment of a sugar refinery pilot Crystal Seed production system. He indicated that his study aimed to enhance the crystallisation process through technology development. Specifically, the development of a robust continuous crystal seed production system, can overcome the shortcomings of existing crystal seed production practices and enable continuous crystallisation operation in sugar factories.
Rahiman overcame several challenges including juggling between work, family, and studies, the birth of his son during the Covid-19 pandemic, the lack of funding to continue with his project and horrific unrest.
“Gracefully my supervisor, Prof Rathilal, was very patient and guided me throughout the journey. The guidance included a good understanding with my family about the implications of doing the Master’s degree and secondly, I had to be religious about dedicating a set amount of time to write up the dissertation,” Rahiman said.
He also highlighted respect as one of DUT ENVISION2030 Living Values and Principles that has been part of his life and success.
Rahiman believes one needs to respect one’s elders enough to listen to their pearls of wisdom, and one needs to respect the young generation to acknowledge that they need to be groomed for the future.
“Respecting others means being honest, being transparent, and demonstrating integrity and accountability in what you do.”
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