Prof Fillemon Nangolo

Biography

Prof. Fillemon Nangolo is a Full Professor of Engineering and a distinguished academic leader currently serving in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Electrical Engineering. He previously served as Head of Campus at NUST Lüderitz from 2025 until 2026, and prior to that as Acting Head of Campus from 2023 to 2024. He is a seasoned higher education executive with over 17 years of experience in the sector, including more than a decade in senior leadership roles at Namibia's two largest public universities – the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the University of Namibia (UNAM). Born in Katutura, Windhoek, Prof. Nangolo began his formal education in Windhoek before pursuing his passion for engineering abroad. He holds a Doctorate in Engineering (PhD), a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSc, awarded Magna Cum Laude), and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) from Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (UJEP) in the Czech Republic. He is currently furthering his strategic expertise by pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Management Strategy at the University of Namibia.

Prof. Nangolo's career is marked by a profound commitment to academic excellence, research, and community advancement. As Head of Campus at NUST Lüderitz (2025–2026), he positioned the campus as a transformative, digitally enabled satellite campus with a vision grounded in emerging technologies and human-centred pedagogy. He drove regional development initiatives focusing on green and blue economies, oil and gas, maritime systems, manufacturing, and engineering sectors through innovative teaching and industry partnerships. He built strategic partnerships with SLB, Total Energies, DBN, SBM, NTA, NIPAM, the Lüderitz Town Council, Kelp Blue, and the South Korean Embassy, advancing renewable energy and green hydrogen initiatives. 

Prior to his campus leadership roles, Prof. Nangolo served as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and IT at UNAM's Jose Eduardo dos Santos Campus. In this role, he spearheaded the design and successful Senate approval of four new undergraduate honours programmes in Agriculture Engineering, Marine Engineering, Maritime Systems Engineering, and Coastal Engineering – directly addressing national skills gaps. He also co-led the successful accreditation of all six engineering programmes by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), and the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN). He prepared comprehensive self-evaluation reports for NCHE programme accreditation, responded to panel recommendations with actionable improvement plans, and implemented continuous quality improvement cycles. He also strengthened postgraduate education capacity by initiating and overseeing Master's and PhD programmes across six engineering disciplines.

Prof. Nangolo has also served as Head of Department for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at UNAM, where he drove departmental strategy, staffing, and operations while achieving accreditation alignment for engineering programmes. He has held academic positions as Senior Lecturer at both NUST and UNAM, and as a Lecturer at UJEP in the Czech Republic, where he also worked as an Industrial Engineer at Chart Ferox, Inc., a leading cryogenic systems manufacturer. 

Beyond his institutional roles, Prof. Nangolo is a highly sought-after national leader in governance and policy development. His contributions to national development are evidenced by his multiple board appointments, including: Board of Directors (Commissioner) of the National Commission for Research, Science and Technology (NCRST); Board Director of the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN); Chairperson of the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Council (NIKSC) of Namibia; and Board of Directors of Inceptus Energy Ltd.

As an NCRST Commissioner, he chairs the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), overseeing the disbursement of over N$30 million in competitive research grants to Namibian institutions and researchers. He has co-authored pivotal national policies, including the NCRST Research Grant Policy (2023 revision), the Commercialisation Framework (2024), and the National IKS Policy Framework. He has also co-led the stakeholder consultation process for the 5th National Research, Science and Technology Plan (2025–2030), gathering input from over 45 institutions. He has served as a subject matter expert on the TVET Sub-Framework, contributing to engineering competency standards and work-integrated learning guidelines – directly relevant to the NCHE's role in articulating higher education with TVET.

Prof. Nangolo's research is both rigorous and applied, with a portfolio spanning mechanics (statics and dynamics) of mechanical systems, renewable energy systems, industrial and manufacturing systems, lean manufacturing and management, numerical methods, stress and vibration analysis, production and maintenance management, and thermo-fluid systems. He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to eight book chapters, and published a monograph on vertical vibration asymmetry in mechanical systems. He holds a patent for a predictive maintenance model using machine learning, which has been adopted by Elgin Brown & Hamer (EBH) Namibia and NamDock for pump failure prediction, reducing unplanned downtime by an estimated 35%. He has successfully mobilized over N$200 million in grants from development banks and industry partners, including a N$134 million KfW infrastructure project and a N$65 million renewable energy initiative that reduced grid dependency by 59%.

A testament to his practical, community-driven approach, Prof. Nangolo played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of the Government of Namibia's High-Level Research Coordination Task Force on COVID-19, convened by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, he led a multi-institutional team (UNAM, NUST, FirstRand Namibia, and private 3D-printing labs) to design, 3D-print, and reverse-engineer critical oxygen delivery devices – including ventilator splitters, oxygen manifolds, and CPAP adaptors – when global supply chains collapsed. The team produced and distributed over 3,000 critical medical devices to public hospitals across all 14 regions of Namibia. His applied research also includes rural desalination projects powered by renewable energy, the development of sediment and weed removal systems for the Calueque–Oshakati Canal (now actively deployed), and the Benguela Community Wind Power Demonstration Project in Lüderitz.

Prof. Nangolo is a dedicated mentor and educator, having supervised three doctoral dissertations, four master's theses, and over 200 undergraduate students, contributing significantly to the development of engineering talent in Namibia and beyond. He has presented his research at numerous international conferences and has delivered keynote addresses on national and international platforms, including as a panellist at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scientific Forum in Austria on "Nuclear Energy for Climate Change."

Through his teaching, research, leadership, and community engagement, Prof. Nangolo continues to shape engineering education and promote sustainable development. His work stands as a testament to the power of integrating academic rigor with real-world impact, positioning Namibia's higher education and innovation sectors for a prosperous and sustainable future.

Qualifications

• PhD. Engineering, J.E. Purkyne University (UJEP), Czech Republic (2015)

• MSc. Mechanical Engineering (Magna Cum Laude), J.E. Purkyne University, Czech Republic (2010)

• B.Eng. Mechanical Engineering, J.E. Purkyne University, Czech Republic (2008)

• MBA in Strategic Management, University of Namibia (in progress)

Professional Affiliation

• Board of Directors (Commissioner), National Commission for Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) – 2022 to present

• Board Director, Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) – 2025 to present

• Chairperson, National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Council (NIKSC) of Namibia – 2024 to present

• Board of Directors, Inceptus Energy Ltd – 2022 to present

• Member, NUST Senate – 2023 to present

• Chairperson, Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) – 2022 to present

• Deputy Chairperson, NCRST HR & Remuneration Committee – 2022 to present

• Member, ECN Academic Programme Committee – 2025 to present

• Member, UNAM Senate (2016–2022)

• Member, UNAM Academic Planning Committee (2016–2022)

• Member, UNAM Academic Examination Committee (2016–2022)

• Member, UNAM Environment & Engineering Research Ethics Committee (2016–2022)

Research Focus

Mechanics (Static and Dynamics) of Mechanical Systems, Renewable Energy Systems, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, Lean Manufacturing and Management, Numerical Methods, Stress and Vibration Analysis, Production and Maintenance Management, Thermo-Fluid Systems, Predictive Maintenance, Dynamic Systems Modelling, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Integration.

Teaching

Undergraduate

• 2025+, Engineering Mechanics (Rigid Body Dynamic), Vibration and Noise (NUST, School of Engineering)

• 2022 – 2025, Engineering Mechanics (Rigid Body Dynamic), Vibration and Noise (NUST, School of Engineering)

• 2015 – 2022, Strength of Materials, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Vibrations, Rigid Body Dynamics, Solid Mechanics, Fluid Machinery, Mechanical Engineering Design (UNAM, Faculty of Engineering and IT)

• 2018 – 2020, Material Resistance (UNAM, School of Military Science)

• 2011 – 2015, Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Numerical Methods, Engineering Mathematics (UJEP, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Republic)

• 2013, Control System (part-time) (Faculty of Engineering, Polytechnic of Namibia)

• 2010, Machine Design (part-time) (Faculty of Engineering, Polytechnic of Namibia)

Postgraduate

• 2016 – 2020, Advanced Numerical Methods (UNAM, Faculty of Engineering and IT)

• 2013 – 2015, Machine Mechanisms (UJEP, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Republic)

Community Development Activities

• 2020 – 2021, Designing and 3D-Printing Oxygen Delivery Devices for State Hospitals on COVID-19.

• 2021 – 2022, Re-engineering Oxygen Delivery Machine for State Hospitals on COVID-19.

• 2020 – 2021, Member of the GIZ COVID-19 Research Task Force. Relevant Medical and Pharmaceutical Products – SADC/GIZ.

• 2020 – 2021, Group seven (7) Task Force: High Level Research Coordination Task Force on COVID-19.

• 2018 – 2019, Design a Sediment and Weed Removal Mechanism for the Calueque – Oshakati Canal.

• 2021, Review and Mapped the Processes of the Namwater R&D Research and Innovation Focused Project.

• 2021, Develop a Standard Template Agreement for Piloting of R&D focused Project in Namwater.

• 2019 – 2021, Pilot Rural Desalination Plants Using Renewable Energy and Membrane Technology.

• 2017, Community Project: The Benguela Community Wind Power Demonstration Project, Lüderitz.

• 2022 – 2024, Co-led stakeholder consultation process for the 5th National Research, Science and Technology Plan (2025–2030), gathering input from 45+ institutions.

• 2023 – 2025, Hosted three national IKS stakeholder symposia with participation from 12 of Namibia's 14 regions.

Publications 

Academic Monograph

• Nangolo, F. N., Soukup J. (2015), "Analysis and Effects of General Asymmetry of Vertical Vibration of Mechanical Systems". ISBN: 978-80-7414-923-8.

Book Chapters (Springer, Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering)

• Nangolo F. N, M. F. Erinosho, E. Angula, (2021) "Characteristics of Asymmetry Motion in the Axle Vertical Plane on the Dynamic Response of Railway Wagon", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 273 – 280. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Mutiu Erinosho, E. Angula Fillemon Nangolo, S. H. Shaanika, (2021) "Design of Specimen Table for Deposition Operation" Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 17 – 22. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Ester Angula, Fillemon Nangolo, Mutiu Erinosho, Sam Shaanika, (2021) "Development of a Refrigeration System Test Rig", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 36 – 40. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Ignatius Shahonya, Fillemon Nangolo, Mutiu Erinosho, Ester Angula, (2021) "Scaling and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane: Technical Review", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 41 – 47. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Angula Ester, Nangolo Fillemon, Erinosho Mutiu Folorunsho, (2021) "Design of a Fan Motor Lifting Mechanism for an Air-Cooled Condenser", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 48 – 54. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Angula Ester, Paul Chisale, Fillemon N. Nangolo, (2021) "Thermal Performance Modelling of a Flat Bare Tube Bundle Under Deluging Cooling Conditions", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 102 – 110. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Mutiu Folorunsho, Nangolo Fillemon, Ester Angula, Ignatius Shahonya, (2021) "Design of a Staking System for a Small-Scale Warehouse ", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 23 – 29. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Jean Luc Habiyaremye, Nangolo Fillemon, Angula Ester, Erasmus Shaanika, Sam Shaanika, Mutiu Folorunsho, Ignatius Shahonya, Nikanor Shikomba, (2021) "Balancing the Production Line Process in the Manufacturing of the Hand Grinder", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 175 – 180. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

• Erinosho Mutiu Folorunsho, Angula Ester, Nangolo Fillemon, Bolanle Ikotun, Oluwagbenga Johnson, (2021) "Technical Review on Severe Plastic Deformation of Aluminium Series", Advances in Material Science and Engineering, pp 55 – 63. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

Peer-reviewed articles

• Ester Angula, Paul Chisale, Fillemon N Nangolo, (2022) "Optimization of Delugeable Tube Bundle Thermal Performance for a Hybrid (Dry/Wet) Dephlegmator Second Stage", Materials Science and Engineering Technology (Wiley) - (Under Review).

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2020), "Improving Ship Yard Ballast Pumps Operations: A Machine Learning Approach to Predictive Maintenance". Journal of Maritime Transport Research. Manuscript number: MARTRA-D-20-00011.

• Habiyaremye, J. L., Nangolo F. N., (2020), "Investigation of Lean Manufacturing Process and Workflow in the Production Sector". International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Manuscript number: TCIM-2020-IJCIM-0223.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2020), "Predictive Maintenance for Ballast Pumps on Ship Repair Yards via Machine Learning". Journal of Transportation Engineering. Manuscript number: TRENG-D-20-00069.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2020), "Improving Ship Yard Ballast Pump's Operations: A PCA Approach to Predictive Maintenance". Journal of Maritime Transportation Research.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2019), "Maintenance Practices and Parameters for Marine Mechanical Systems", Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, DOI: 10.1108/JQME-03-2019-0026.

• Angula Ester, Nangolo F. N, Erinosho Mutiu F., (2020) "Modelling of the Passive Solar Collector for Pearl Miller Solar Dryer", Applied Engineering in Agriculture journal (Under Review).

• Angula, E., Chisale, P., Nangolo, F. N., (2019) "An improved discretized two-dimensional numerical thermal model for flat bare tube condensers application", Open Engineering Journal.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2019), "Reliability Maintenance Aspects of Deck Machinery for Ageing/aged Fishing Vessels", Journal of Marine Engineering and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/2064177.2019.1663595.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2019), "Predictive Maintenance Approach for Dock Pumps on Floating Dry Docks". Journal of Maritime Transport Research.

• Kimera, D., Nangolo, F. N. (2019), "Maintenance Optimization for Marine Mechanical Systems", Journal of Engineering in the Maritime Environment.

• K. R. Ajao, A. A. Ogunmokun, F Nangolo, O. S. Balogun (2017), "Assessment of Electro-Mechanical Components of Bakolori Small Hydropower Plant for Refurbishment and Modernization ". ATBU Journal of Science, Technology and Education.

• K. R. Ajao, A. A. Ogunmokun, F Nangolo, E. O. Adebo (2016), "Electricity Transmission Losses in Nigeria Power Sector: A Smart Grid Approach". ATBU Journal of Science, Technology and Education.

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J., Petrenko, A., Skocilas J., (2015), "Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Vertical Vibration of a Freight Wagon in the Presence of Asymmetry". Journal of Nonlinear Dynamics and Systems Theory. EID: 2-s2.0-84922616498

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J., Rychlikova L. (2014), "A Combined Numerical and Modal Analysis on Vertical Vibration Response of Railway Vehicle in the Presence of Multiply Kinematic Excitations". Journal of Modeling of Mechanical and Mechatronic Systems MMaMS. Page 310 – 319. ISSN: 1877-7058. Procedia Engineering.

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J. (2013), "Modal Parameter Estimation for Underdamped Linear Dynamic Systems". Journal of Applied Mechanics and Materials. Page 233 – 238. ISSN: 1660-9336. Trans Tech Publications Ltd.

• Nangolo F., Soukup J. (2014), "The Effect of Asymmetry on Vertical Dynamic Response of Railway Vehicles". Journal of Manufacturing Technology, 14 (3), pp 375 - 380.
  Nangolo F. N., Soukup J. (2013), "Investigation of the Influence of Weight Eccentricities on the Vertical Response of a Railway Wagon". Journal of Machine Modeling and Simulation. Page 127 – 130. ISSN: 1337-8996 - Technolog.

• Nangolo F. N., Petrenko A. (2013), "Analytical Investigation of the Influence of Production and Construction Asymmetry of a Four-Axial Freight Wagon". Journal of Dynamic System – Theory and Application (DSTA). Page 136 – 136. ISBN: 978-83-7283-578-9.

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J., Svoboda M. (2012), "Modeling of Vertical Dynamic Response of Railway Vehicle System with Experimental Validation". Journal of Machine Modeling and Simulation. Page 295 – 301. ISBN: 978-83-923315-2-0.

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J. (2012), "Development of a Rigid Body System Simulation Model of the Freight Wagon". Journal of Dynamics of Rigid and Deformable Bodies. ISBN: 978-80-7414-376-2

• Nangolo F. N. (2012), "Solution of the Multi-Degrees of Freedom System Simulation Model of the Freight Wagon in MATLAB/Simulink". Journal of Computational and Experimental Methods in Applied Mechanics. Page 115 – 120. ISBN: 978-80741-609-1.

• Nangolo F. N. (2011), "Vibration Measurements of Mechanical Systems". Journal of Strategy of Engineering Education in the Reflection of the Contemporary Era. Page 232 – 237. ISSN: 1803-537X. Technology and Information Education.

Non-peer-reviewed articles

• None

Newspaper articles

• None

Conference presentations & invited talks

Peer-reviewed conference presentation

• Ester Angula, Paul Chisale, Fillemon N Nangolo, (2022) "Modelling of Cold-End System for a Direct Air-Cooling Generating Unit", The 16th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics (HEFAT) and Editorial Board of Applied Thermal Engineering (ATE), 08 – 10 August 2022. Virtual Conference.

• Ester Angula, Paul Chisale, Fillemon N Nangolo, (2021) "Optimization of Hybrid (Dry/Wet) Dephlegmator Delugeable Second stage Tube Bundle Thermal Performance", 7th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 29 Nov 2021. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Virtual conference.

• Nangolo F. N, M. F. Erinosho, E. Angula, (2021) "Effect of Symmetry and Anti-symmetry Motion in the Axle Vertical Plane on the Vertical Dynamic Response of Railway Wagon", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Paper ID: mmp20180

• S. H. Shaanika, M. F. Erinosho, E. Angula, Nangolo F. N., (2021) "Design and Fabrication of a Parabolic Trough Solar Water Heater for Domestic Houses in Ongwediva", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Paper ID: mmp2077

• Mutiu Erinosho, Fillemon Nangolo, Ester Angula, Ignatius Shahonya, (2021) "Design of a Stacking System for a Mini Warehouse" submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Paper ID: mmp2079

• M. F. Erinosho, E. Angula, Nangolo F. N., B. D. Ikotun, K. Oladosu, (2021) "A Brief Technical Review: The Future Direction of Solar Energy in Namibia", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Ester Angula, Fillemon Nangolo, Mutiu Erinosho, Sam Shaanika, (2021) "Design of Refrigeration System Test Rig", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Accepted for publication). Paper ID: mmp2082

• Ignatius Shahonya, Fillemon Nangolo, Mutiu Erinosho, Ester Angula, (2021) "Brief Review: Scaling and Fouling of Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Accepted for publication). Paper ID: mmp2083

• Angula Ester, Nangolo Fillemon, Erinosho Mutiu Folorunsho, (2021) "Design of a lifting mechanism for the condenser fan house for Van's Eck Power Station in Namibia", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Accepted for publication). Paper ID: mmp2084

• Angula Ester, Nangolo Fillemon, Erinosho Mutiu Folorunsho, (2021) "The Prospective Direction of Solar Energy in Namibia ", submitted to the 6th International Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Plant Engineering, 25 - 26 Nov 2020. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Accepted for publication). Paper ID: mmp2080

• Angula, E., Chisale, P., Nangolo, F. N., (2019) "One-dimensional Model for Predicting Convectional Delugeable Flat Bare Tube Bundle's Thermal Performance", 15th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics. Paper ID: mmp20115

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J., Angula E., (2019), "Experimental / Analytical Predictive Model for Vertical Dynamic Response of a Four-Axle Railway Wagon". International Multi-Topic Conference on Engineering and Science (IMCES).

• Nangolo F. N., Shaanika S., Angula T. (2019), "Removal of Weeds and Sediments from the Calueque – Oshakati Canal". Conference on Advancing the Impact of University-Generated Knowledge in the Southern Africa Development Community through Academia-Industry Partnerships.

• Nangolo F. N., Frantisek K., (2015), "System Identification for Underdamped Mechanical Systems". 52nd Conference on Experimental Stress Analysis. Page 1 – 2. ISBN: 978-80-7414-609-1.

• Nangolo F. N., Soukup J. (2012), "Investigation of Vertical Vibration Response of Mechanical Systems". Journal of Symposium on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, pp 50 – 51.

• Nangolo F. N., Frantisek K. (2015), "System Identification for Underdamped Mechanical Systems". 52nd Conference on Experimental Stress Analysis. Page 1 – 2. ISBN: 978-80-7414-609-1.

Invited talks

• Keynote speaker/panelist at: International Energy Conference ASTECGNOVA 2019, Indonesia (Yogyakarta) – Faculty of Engineering, University Gadjah Mada. Delivered a presentation with theme "Innovation in Research and Energy Development". Panelists were selected due to their personal expertise on the relevant subject matter.

• Panellist at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Scientific Forum, Austria (2023) – "Nuclear Energy for Climate Change", contributing to high-level global discussions on clean energy transition.

• Keynote speaker at various national and international platforms on engineering innovation, sustainable development, renewable energy, and higher education quality assurance