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Reginald B. Kogbara, Ph.D. (Cantab), FCPS

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Undergraduate education

Reg Kogbara received his Bachelor of Technology degree in Agricultural & Environmental Engineering from the Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria in August 2005. During his undergraduate studies, he demonstrated ability in research and development. His major interests entailed cost-effective means to accelerate the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils, among other environmental issues. Some of the research works were published in refereed international journals. Consequently, he was offered highly competitive and prestigious international scholarships for doctoral research by the University of Cambridge, UK and the University of Melbourne, Australia. He was also offered employment in Exxon Mobil, Nigeria after nationwide competitive examination(s) at about the same time.


Doctoral research

From October 2007 to March 2011, he was in the Geotechnical & Environmental Research Group of Cambridge University Engineering Department undertaking research leading to a PhD in Engineering. His doctoral research was funded through scholarship(s) from the Cambridge Trusts and a UK Technology Strategy Board research grant. His doctoral thesis, entitled 'Process envelopes for and biodegradation within stabilised/solidified contaminated soils' revolved around stabilisation/solidification (S/S) and bioremediation technologies. During his PhD work, he served on the research team of the ProCeSS project, a UK Technology Strategy Board academia-industry collaboration that developed operating envelopes to increase the transparency and usage of stabilisation/solidification technology for treatment for different hazardous wastes. His PhD work also demonstrated beneficial combination of stabilisation/solidification and bioremediation technologies using magnesium phosphate cements for concurrent treatment of organic and metallic contamination. An aspect of the said work was recognised with a Student Paper Award during the American Academy of Sciences' 5th International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology held in Houston, Texas in July 2010. He published ten journal articles (all in SCOPUS- and ISI-indexed journals) from his doctoral thesis in Cambridge.

His studies in Cambridge also included performing laboratory testing (compaction, consolidation, California bearing ratio, moisture condition value, etc.) and geotechnical research for an Arup-UK-Highways-Agency consultancy project that developed performance specifications for soils / fill materials for road embankments. Reg was a member of Fitzwilliam College during his time in Cambridge University.


Appointments

After graduation from Cambridge, he had a stint as Assistant Professor in the Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He then moved to Texas A&M University at Qatar as Postdoctoral Fellow in the Mechanical Engineering Program in 2012 and was promoted to Assistant Research Scientist in 2015 and Associate Research Scientist in 2018. He has acquired research funding totalling over US$6.5 million as principal investigator and received the Best Researcher Award in Texas A&M University at Qatar in February 2018. He was instrumental in developing unique experimental facilities at Texas A&M University at Qatar for mechanical, chemical, and microstructural characterization of infrastructure materials. Hence, he was the Year 2021 recipient of the institution's Research Fellow Excellence Award. Further, he was previously Honorary (Visiting) Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering of the Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and also had a stint as Senior Researcher in the Department of Building Materials and Products, South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia. He has been listed in the Stanford University's Year 2020 Top 2% Scientists in the World (published on 19 October 2021) and Year 2021 Top 2% Scientists in the World (published on 3 November 2022). He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Izmir Institute of Technology, Urla, Izmir, Turkey, and continues collaboration as a Principal Investigator on various QNRF-funded research projects at Texas A&M University at Qatar.


Professional Society Memberships

  • Life Fellow, Cambridge Philosophical Society.

  • Senior Member, Hong Kong Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society.

  • Member, American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists.

  • Graduate Member, Institution of Civil Engineers, UK.

  • Corporate Member, Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers.


    Research Interests

    His research interests are in the areas of civil engineering materials and geo-environmental engineering. His particular expertise in these areas are summarised below:

    Civil engineering materials: Concrete for severe environments and durability of concrete structures – concrete behavior at cryogenic temperatures, characterisation and microstructural analyses of materials, non-destructive evaluation, skid resistance of asphalt pavements, subgrade soil stabilisation, and sustainable construction materials utilizing C&D and industrial wastes.

    Geo-environmental engineering: Contaminated land remediation and hazardous waste treatment technologies – bioremediation, composting, phytoremediation, stabilisation/solidification using a range of cementitious materials, combination of remediation technologies, beneficial reuse of industrial wastes and materials as resources, and environmental monitoring and modeling.


    Representative Publications

  • J. Huang, R.B. Kogbara, N. Hariharan, E.A. Masad & D.N. Little (2021). “A state-of-the-art review of polymers used in soil stabilization”. Construction & Building Materials, 305: 124685, DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.124685. Publisher: Elsevier.

  • R.B. Kogbara, W. Yiming, S.R. Iyengar, O.A.E. Abdalla, H.M. Al-Wawi, U.C. Onwusogh, K. Youssef, M. Al-Ansary, P.A. Sunifar & D. Arora (2020). “Effect of gas-to-liquid biosludge on soil properties and alfalfa yields in an arid soil”. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 250, Article Number: 119524, DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119524. Publisher: Elsevier.

  • R.B. Kogbara, E.A. Masad, E. Kassem, A. Scarpas & K. Anupam (2016). “A state-of-the-art review of parameters influencing measurement and modelling of skid resistance of asphalt pavements”. Construction & Building Materials, Vol. 114, pp 602 – 617. Publisher: Elsevier.

  • R.B. Kogbara, J.M. Ayotamuno, I. Onuomah, V. Ehio & T.D. Damka (2016). “Stabilisation/solidification and bioaugmentation treatment of petroleum drill cuttings”. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 71, pp 1 – 8. Publisher: Elsevier.

  • R.B. Kogbara, S.R. Iyengar, Z.C. Grasley, E.A. Masad & D.G. Zollinger (2015). “Non-destructive evaluation of concrete mixtures for direct LNG containment”. Materials & Design, Vol. 82, pp 260 - 272. Publisher: Elsevier. Author's postprint.

  • R.B. Kogbara, A. Al-Tabbaa, Y.Yi & J.A. Stegemann (2013). “Cement-fly ash stabilisation/solidification of contaminated soil: Performance properties and initiation of operating envelopes”. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 33, pp 64 - 75. Publisher: Elsevier. Author's postprint.

  • R.B. Kogbara & A. Al-Tabbaa. (2011). “Mechanical and leaching behaviour of slag-cement and lime-activated slag stabilised/solidified contaminated soil”. Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 409, pp 2325 – 2335. Publisher: Elsevier. Author's postprint.

  • R.B. Kogbara, A. Al-Tabbaa & S.R. Iyengar (2011). “Utilisation of magnesium phosphate cements to facilitate biodegradation within a stabilised/solidified contaminated soil”. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, Vol. 216, pp 411 – 427. Publisher: Springer. PDF, Author's postprint.

  • M.J. Ayotamuno, R.B. Kogbara, S.O.T. Ogaji & S.D. Probert (2006). "Bioremediation of a crude-oil polluted agricultural-soil at Port Harcourt, Nigeria". Applied Energy, Vol. 83, Issue 11. pp 1249 – 1257. Publisher: Elsevier.

  • M.J. Ayotamuno, R.B. Kogbara, S.O.T. Ogaji & S.D. Probert (2006). "Petroleum contaminated ground-water: Remediation using activated carbon". Applied Energy, Vol. 83, Issue 11. pp 1258 – 1264. Publisher: Elsevier.

    The following link provides a more detailed list of my publications.


    Journal Editor and Reviewer

  • Academic Editor / Editorial Board Member, PLOS ONE Journal - Published by the Public Library of Science, San Francisco, CA.

  • Advisory Board Member, Materials Open Research - An F1000 / Taylor & Francis Publishing Platform.

    He has reviewed over 200 papers for about 50 journals from leading publishers. He has also received Publons Peer Review Awards (Top 1% in Field) in the Multidisciplinary and Environment/Ecology research fields (see Publons link) and Reviewer Excellence and Outstanding Reviewer Awards from several Elsevier journals.

    Elsevier: Journal of Hazardous Materials, Journal of Environmental Management, Materials & Design, Construction & Building Materials, Engineering Geology, Chemosphere, Science of the Total Environment, Applied Geochemistry, Waste Management, Applied Thermal Engineering, Environmental Pollution, etc.

    Taylor & Francis: International Journal of Pavement Engineering, Environmental Technology, Soil & Sediment Contamination, International Journal of Phytoremediation, etc.

    Springer: Environmental Science & Pollution Research, Water, Air & Soil Pollution, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, etc.

    Wiley: Clean – Soil, Air, Water.

    American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.

    American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): Advances in Civil Engineering Materials, Journal of Testing & Evaluation, Geotechnical Testing Journal.

    American Chemical Society (ACS): Energy & Fuels.


    Contact Information
    Last updated: November 2022.