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Members // Regular Members // Bernard Ikua

Regular Member

Bernard Ikua

Bernard Ikua

Principal

College of Engineering and Technology

Ikua

Jommo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Kenya

Prof. Bernard W. Ikua is the Principal of the College of Engineering and Technology (COETEC) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya.   Prior to taking up the position of the College Principal, he served as the Dean, School of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering.  He also served as the Chairman of the Department of Mechatronic Engineering.

He is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Design, Manufacturing and Precision Engineering.   He studied for his Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi, which he completed in 1990, and later MSc and PhD at Tottori University, Japan.

Prof. Ikua is a Registered Professional Engineer by the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), and a corporate member of Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK).  He has a wide industrial and research experience in Manufacturing systems, Design and Development of Industrial Machines, Mechatronics and non-traditional manufacturing systems.  He has carried out and guided research and development and supervised Postgraduate students (MSc, PhD) in the areas of Manufacturing, Mechatronics and Automation.  He has authored more than 70 publications, conference proceedings and technical reports in these areas.

Before Joining the academia, Prof. Ikua previously worked in the Private sector and also with the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) as a Research Officer. 

He has been actively involved in several projects with industry and interacted a lot with the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) in the Manufacturing sector.   In 2015, he was awarded the Research Chair for Manufacturing Innovations for Quality and Productivity, a project jointly funded by National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Prof. Ikua is the Chairman of newly formed Council for Kenya Engineering Deans and Principals.  He is also a peer reviewer of Engineering Programmes in Kenya, under the Commission of University Education.