In conversation with Prof Aubrey Mainza – ‘a year of abundant learning’

On a sunny spring afternoon, Professor Aubrey Mainza opened his office door in the New Engineering Building on upper campus. His smile was welcoming and his handshake firm. By then he had spent over 12 months at the helm of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (EBE) and understood the lofty task that he had signed up for.

After serving as the head of the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering for five years, taking up another administration role within the faculty was not on the cards. Professor Mainza was ready to focus on his research and teaching full-time. But the universe had other plans.

“This job was not part of my career plan. But here I am,” he said. “And I have spent the past 12 months learning; learning what we do really well, where [we need to] improve and where we need to do things differently. I’ve also spent a lot of time learning about the people who make up this diverse space, both staff and students. It’s been a year of learning.”

Removing silos, increasing research output

More than learning, Mainza said, he has spent the past 12 months bringing academic staff together – to talk and share ideas – in the hope of eliminating silos and encouraging cross-departmental collaboration. But that’s not all: moving research to the top of the faculty’s talking and working agenda has been high on his priority list. After all, Mainza said, if scholars succeed in their research endeavours, it helps to develop solid teaching practices too.

“Yes, teaching influences your research, but research influences your teaching even more. And the two need to coexist. I believe that we need to increase our research outputs and that is what I have undertaken to do,” he said.

“I’ve … spent a lot of time learning about the people who make up this diverse space, both staff and students. It’s been a year of learning.”

And the faculty is on the right track. Research is at the top of every department’s to-do list and Mainza said conversations “to ensure that we are moving in that right direction” are taking place. The next step, he said, is to establish tangible plans on how best to capacitate scholars’ work and to secure solid grants both locally and abroad. To support this undertaking, he is in the process of setting up a faculty advisory board, which will comprise academics and leading industry partners to advise on research- and teaching-related matters, and to help secure internships and vocational training programmes for students.

With so much focus on research, Mainza said the teaching and learning project will not lag behind. During his tenure, he hopes to see students make use of technology like artificial intelligence responsibly and to engage with robotics as tools for smart learning. This will ensure that they remain relevant, keep up with a modern, tech-driven world and acquire new skills in the process.

Building a vibrant faculty

Because people are at the heart of his academic home, Mainza is committed to developing a diverse and vibrant faculty where creativity and innovation thrive. At the helm, his goal is to nurture a pipeline of young people who are equipped to hold key positions and who flourish doing it. He acknowledged that this might be a hefty task, and seasoned scholars might feel that it’s a case of “out with the old and in with the new”. But he is up for the challenge to carefully balance the two.

“Doing this is important to achieve growth the faculty needs. We cannot rely solely on the talent we have now without thinking of the future. We need to plan for what happens when established academics, and professional, administrative support and service (PASS) staff currently in the system depart,” he said. “We need to have a pipeline of young people who can take the reins and maintain the high standards that are currently being obtained. So, we need a development plan, and we need to double our work on this now.”

Bringing academic staff and students closer together to foster ongoing dialogue, encourage cocreation and learning is an important building block in this process.

“To develop younger academics, we need seasoned scholars to take on the role of mentor, coach and supporter. We need open communication, a space to share ideas and to learn from each other; a space where both seasoned and newer academics feel valued and are allowed to contribute,” Mainza said.

Breaking barriers

Breaking these barriers will take work. But once successful, it will help academics and students to successfully navigate the research and teaching and learning projects with ease.

To support these important undertakings, Mainza’s office is also planning to host an annual faculty expo that joins industry, academic staff and students under one roof. He described the event as a day dedicated to networking – to enable individuals in the faculty to forge collaborative bonds with industry and give students the opportunity to interact with prospective employers. Mainza said it will also serve as an opportunity for students to understand what they can expect when they step into the world of work.

“It’s a three-way interaction that will be beneficial for staff, students, and industry and professional players. It is exciting for us to get this off the ground and witness the fruits in time,” Mainza said.

Reaching schools

Alongside increasing the faculty’s research outputs and strengthening communication, Mainza said boosting student enrolment numbers is crucial. To succeed, the faculty should make every effort to build relationships with matric learners who have indicated interest in pursuing tertiary studies at UCT and have applied with their mid-year results.

He also recommended working closely with schools across the country, especially those in resource-constrained communities – to locate pupils with outstanding academic track records – to boost the pool of students from underrepresented contexts.

“We need to ensure that prospective students are encouraged to choose UCT by creating awareness.”

Long-term, he said, the plan is to start engaging and building relationships with Grade 10 pupils and their teachers and get discussions started early on about tertiary studies. This, Mainza said, will help the faculty bag strong candidates.

“We need to engage with schools and pupils early on. This will allow us to build relationships, showcase what this faculty is all about and what being a student here looks like. Part of these engagements will naturally involve explaining what it takes to get here. Since choosing where to study is a personal decision, we need to ensure that prospective students are encouraged to choose UCT by creating awareness,” he said.

Leaving a legacy

With little over one year into his term in office, Mainza is already thinking about how he’d like staff and students to remember him when his stint ends. So, he’s quick to answer the next question: As dean, what legacy would you like to leave behind?

“I want to be remembered for empowerment; for empowering young people in our faculty. I want them to remember me as the dean who gave younger academics and our students a voice – a voice to make decisions; a voice to do what they are passionate about. I feel that’s so important,” he said.

“Young people have energy and we need to give them the scope and direction to use that energy. And when we do, I can assure you, it will yield very good results.”