PROFILE OF PROFESSOR KWADWO ADINKRAH-APPIAH

Born on 9th June, 1969 at Atuna in the Jaman South District of the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana, Professor Ing. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah started his basic education at the Roman Catholic Primary and completed at the Local Authority Middle School at Atuna in 1984. He was the School prefect both at the primary and middle school levels. He began his secondary education at Drobo Secondary School, Drobo, in the Jaman South District of the Brong-Ahafo Region in 1986 and in the same year moved to Sumaman Secondary School, Suma-Ahenkro, in the Jaman North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region where he joined the second year but remained on top of his class. He later transferred to Saint Mary’s Boys Secondary School in Takoradi where he obtained his O’Level Certificate with Distinction in 1990. He continued at Saint John’s School, Sekondi, for his A’Level Certificate in 1992, after which he did his National Service at the Drobo Secondary School as Science and Mathematics teacher in 1993. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, in 1998, and performed his second mandatory National Service at the Sunyani Polytechnic in 1999 as an instructor. He later obtained his MPhil and PhD degrees, in Civil Engineering, in 2006 and 2015, respectively, at his alma mater, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He also received professional training as a Civil Engineer in structural modeling at the RISA Technologies in California, USA, in 2006. .

EXPERIENCE IN INDUSTRY

Prof. Ing. Adinkrah-Appiah has extensive experience in industry. He was employed as a site Engineer for Nissi Water Company Ltd., a general construction firm based in Kumasi in 2009 at the same time that he was performing his National Service after his B.Sc. degree. He moved to join IKA Consult, an Architectural and Engineering consulting firm based in Sunyani as a Civil/Structural Engineering Consultant in the year 2000, where he served until 2003. In the year 2006, he formed his own building consulting firm, Appimed Consult, to provide consulting services for various projects. He, thus, has eighteen years of experience as a professional Civil/Structural Engineer and has worked on several construction projects across the country including donor funded projects such as the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) and Urban V Project. .

TEACHING & REACHING EXPERIENCE

He also has far-reaching experience in teaching, research and senior management position in tertiary institutional administration. He was formally employed as an Instructor at the Building Technology department of the then Sunyani Polytechnic in the year 2001 and was appointed as a Lecturer in 2006, after his MPhil degree, at the same department. He was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer at the Civil Engineering Department in 2012, and subsequently as an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering in 2016. He has served in various management positions at the Sunyani Technical University including Acting Head of Building Technology Department (2005-2006), Sectional Head of Carpentry & Joinery Section of the Building Technology Department (2006-2007), Head of Building Technology Department (2007-2009), Dean of School of Engineering (2009-2012), Vice-Rector (2013-2016), and Acting Rector (2016). .

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

He has authored several research publications. His research areas include Shear strength of reinforced palm kernel shell concrete deep beams, Vulnerability of building structures in the seismic zones of Ghana, The use of waste materials as aggregate for concrete and building block production for sustainable construction, The use of lateritic soils for concrete and building block production, Lean construction in the Ghanaian construction industry and Economic cost of road accidents in Ghana. His research has led to the introduction of an innovated building block in the Ghanaian construction industry dubbed ‘Salancrete building block’ which is made by combining laterite, sand and nominal amounts of cement for sustainable construction. .

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

He is an ardent member of various Professional Associations including the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE), the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He has led several proposal writings to win and manage donor funds/grants for institutional development including the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF) (World Bank) and the NPT/NUFFIC project (Netherlands Government). Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah is a proud recipient of the ‘Research & Academic-Industrial Award, Advancing Engineering Knowledge category’ of the 2016 edition of the Engineering Excellence Award of the Ghana Institution of Engineers. .

LEADERSHIP

He has chaired and served on several boards and committees both within and outside the Sunyani Technical University as well as various research and public lecture sessions. He is a reviewer for the Annual Research Conference of the Sunyani Technical University as well as the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Structures and Materials Journal. He has led the accreditation of several programmes both as a head of department and dean of school.

Prof. Ing. Adinkrah-Appiah is an Elder of the Church of Pentecost and is married with three children.