Research profile for Neil Manson

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering – 1990 – University of Witwatersrand
• Diploma in Datametrics – 1994 – UNISA
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering – 1998 – University of Witwatersrand
• Postgraduate Diploma in Tertiary Education – 2013 – UNISA

Research Interests

• Building mathematical models of real-world systems to help decision makers make accurate, evidence-based decisions. These models include simulation, optimisation and decision-analysis techniques.
• Improving teaching and learning in applied formal and natural sciences, with a specific focus on assessing teaching and learning in these sciences.

Biography

Neil Manson is an engineer, researcher and academic leader whose work spans water resource optimisation, operations research, and the application of technology in developing-world contexts. He holds an MSc in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, where his early research produced influential contributions to the optimisation of reservoir systems, pumping policies, and water distribution networks. His work has been published in journals such as ORiON and the Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineers, and he has authored multiple Water Research Commission reports on asset management and hydraulic system optimisation. Neil has presented widely at national and international conferences, with research interests that include modelling of water supply systems, operational optimisation, and the role of open-source technologies in engineering education and practice.