Dr Progress Shingai Chigangacha

Senior Lecturer in Construction Project Management
Faculty:
Faculty of Science and Engineering
School:
Engineering and the Built Environment
Location:
Chelmsford
Research Supervision:
Yes

Shingai Chigangacha is a Senior Lecturer with more than a decade's experience as an industry practitioner. Her passion lies in harnessing the potential of construction as a catalyst for positive social change. Her journey is fuelled by a burning desire to contribute significantly to this transformative process.

[email protected]

Background

Shingai joined ARU in August 2024, bringing with her extensive experience as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Before joining ARU, she worked full-time as a quantity surveyor and project manager, while also lecturing part-time. She maintains strong industry connections and actively collaborates with practitioners to ensure academic outputs are aligned with the evolving needs of the construction sector.

Shingai's research interests include Construction 5.0, digitalisation, human–machine collaboration, and sustainability. She draws on a blend of practical industry experience and academic insight to enrich curriculum development, support student mentoring, and lead industry-engaged research initiatives.

Research interests
  • Project management
  • Construction 5.0
  • Infrastructure delivery
  • Human centricity
  • Digitalisation
  • Built environment
Areas of research supervision
  • Digitalisation
  • Project management
  • Construction 5.0
  • Infrastructure delivery

Shingai has supervised two MSc students to completion and is currently supervising a PhD student and an MSc student.

Teaching

Course Director: MSc Construction Project Management

Modules
  • Project Planning and Control
  • Management Practice
  • Measurement and Quantification
  • Research Methods
  • Dissertation
  • Project Administration
Qualifications

PhD Construction Management – University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

MSc Construction Management – University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

PG Cert Learning and Teaching (Higher Education) – ARU

BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying – National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe

Memberships, editorial boards
Professional memberships
  • Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) – Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) – Project Management Institute
  • Professional Quantity Surveyor – South African Council for the Quantity Surveying
  • Professional Member (PMAQS) – Association of South African Quantity Surveyors
Editorial boards
  • Association of Schools of Construction Southern Africa – Conference Academic Chair
  • Journal of Construction – Guest Editor
Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Post-doctoral research fellow – National Research Fund, South Africa, 2023 – R640 000.00

Selected recent publications

Chigangacha P. S. and Haupt, T. C. (2025) Construction 5.0: An Introductory Text, Abingdon: Routledge. (Proposal accepted)

Chigangacha P. S., Hlophe, L. S. and Haupt T. C. (2024) 'Construction 5.0: Innovations, Trends, and Implications for the Future', Journal of Construction, 17(2), pp. 51-.60

Chigangacha, P. S., Edwards, D. and Haupt, T. C. (2023) 'An investigation into the impact of hand-arm vibration exposure on construction workers in the UK construction industry', Journal of Construction, 16(1), pp. 31-44. ISSN 1994-7402.

Akotia, J., Awuzie, B. O., Chigangacha, P. S. and Haupt, T. C. (2022) 'Evaluating the consideration of social sustainability factors in urban regeneration projects: The case of UK construction industry', Journal of Engineering, Design & Technology.

Awuzie, B. O., Mcwari, S. P., Chigangacha, P. S., Aigbavboa, C. O., Haupt, T. C. and Obi, L. I. (2022) 'Analysing Outsourced and Insourced Public Infrastructure Projects’ Performance in a Provincial Department of Public Works: A Grounded Theory Approach', Journal of Engineering, Design & Technology. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-11-2021-0640

Recent presentations and conferences

Chigangacha, P. S., Bui, N., Ibrahim, H. and Henjewele, C. (2025) 'AI Powered Auto-Scheduling of Construction Projects for Improved Efficiency', Conference for the Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM), Dundee, Scotland, 1-3 September.

Olarinoye, E. M., Zulu, E. and Chigangacha, P. S. (2025) 'The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) on risk assessment in construction', Proceedings of the 19th Built Environment Conference, Construction 5.0, The Journey Continues, Pretoria, South Africa, 18-19 July.