Hannes Gräbe is a civil engineer with 16 years’ experience in track technology, track geotechnology, advanced laboratory testing, field investigations, maintenance models and numerical analysis of track structures. After completing his under-graduate studies at the University of Pretoria in 1994, he joined Transnet Freight Rail’s Tack Technology Centre, Johannesburg.  From 1999 – 2002 he studied abroad and obtained a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Southampton (UK).This research was focussed on the design life prediction of railway foundations under heavy axle loading.   He is a registered professional engineer, Fellow of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) and chairperson of the SAICE Railway and Harbour division. He is currently employed by the University of Pretoria as Associate professor: Chair in Railway Engineering where he lectures under- and post-graduate courses in Railway Engineering.He is also responsible for railway research and continued professional education in the form of short courses presented to industry.  

Fields of interest are Railways, Pavement Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering and Physical modelling.