Prof Barry Dwolatzky

Barry Dwolatzky is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Electrical & Information Engineering at Wits University. He is the founder and Director of the University’s Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE). He is also the founder and Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

Barry’s undergraduate (BSc(Eng) ) and postgraduate degree (PhD) are in Electrical Engineering and are from Wits. In 1979 he left South Africa and worked in the UK as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), Imperial College, London and at the GEC-Marconi Research Centre. Over this period, he worked on a number of large software research and development projects.

Barry Dwolatzky returned to Wits from the UK as a Senior Lecturer in 1989. He became a full professor in 2000. In December 2017 he officially retired from Wits and was appointed an Emeritus Professor. His primary focus over the past 28 years has been the growth and development of the South African software engineering sector.

In 2005 Barry Dwolatzky was the major driver in setting up the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits. The JCSE aims to grow skills, promote the adoption of best practices and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in South Africa’s digital economy. In 2007 he became Director and CEO of the JCSE.

In 2013 Dwolatzky spearheaded an initiative at Wits to establish a major digital innovation hub in the Braamfontein area of inner-city Johannesburg. Called the “Tshimologong Precinct” the project has attracted significant support from government and a range of major local and international companies. IBM Research has established their 12th international laboratory in Braamfontein as an integral part of the Precinct.

In recognition of his contribution to the South African IT industry Barry Dwolatzky was named the “South African IT Personality of the Year” in 2013 and received an award for “Distinguished Service to IT” from the Institute of IT Professionals of South Africa (IITPSA) in 2016. Also in 2016 Wits University presented him with the “Vice Chancellor’s Award for Academic Citizenship”.