Bridging the Academia Industry Divide: Innovation and Industrialisation Perspective using Systems Thinking Research in Sub-Saharan Africa (EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing)

This book is the result of years of research following a realization of the mismatch of engineering skills produced by universities and those that industry required, based on the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa, equally applicable to other regions in Africa and indeed worldwide. The book is meant to assist engineering academics and engineers in industry to build capacity and cope with the dynamic trends in technology brought on by the 4th Industrial Revolution and to prepare for the 5th Industrial Revolution, an era predicted to be dominated by critical and system thinkers with creative and innovative skills as basic necessities. The book is also useful for policy-making researchers in academia, industrial and public sector researchers, and implementers in governments that provide required funding for the development of human resources and skills. The book primarily consists of the novel research and innovation approaches of modelling and building systems thinking sub-models which were ultimately integrated into the Universal Systems Thinking (UST) model aimed at improving the quality of engineers and engineering practice. The initiatives in this book include strategies for bridging the gap between industry and academia through systems thinking research. The book provides information on how to model, simulate, adjust and implement integrated systems thinking approaches to engineering education and training for capacity building and sustainability. The book also covers approaches to address research gaps and mismatch of skills while capitalizing on the successes of several projects carried out and supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering over the years. 

Dr. Wilson R. Nyemba is a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe with over 30 years of experience both in industry and academia. He designed and developed a wide range of engineering products in different capacities in industry from product development to engineering management. He also formulated and led a number of successful ventures at the University of Zimbabwe where he served as Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering as well as Dean of the Faculty Engineering. He also served as Chairman of WaterNet and Project Manager for the Royal Academy of Engineering projects for enhancing practical skills for engineering academics in Southern Africa. He is an accomplished consultant and researcher with interests in Engineering Education, Capacity Building and Sustainability, Systems Thinking and Modelling as well as Computer Aided Engineering. Wilson holds a BSc Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, an MSc degree in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from the University of Warwick in England through the Overseas Development Authority Scholarship and a Doctor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa where he was funded through the National Research Foundation (NRF), Research and Innovation Scholarship. He is also currently appointed as a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Quality Assurance and Operations Management at the University of Johannesburg. He has authored and published 51 peer reviewed papers in journals and conference proceedings as well as several consultancy reports. He has received awards and recognition for outstanding research papers at conferences such as the World Congress on Engineering in London in 2016, Industrial Engineering and Operations Management in Bristol, UK in 2017 and Global Conference for Sustainable Manufacturing in Kentucky, USA in 2018. 

Professor Charles Mbohwa is the University ofZimbabwe Pro-Vice Chancellor responsible for Strategic Partnerships and Industrialisation as well as a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg where he was previously a Professor of Sustainability Engineering and Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation and also acted as Dean of the Faculty for 8 months. He previously worked for the National Railways of Zimbabwe and the University of Zimbabwe as a Senior Lecturer where he served as Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has extensively published papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences as well as book chapters and 5 books. He holds a BSc Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, a Master of Science in Operations Management and Manufacturing Systems from the University of Nottingham and a Doctor of Engineering from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology in Japan. He was a Fulbright Scholar in 2006/2007 at the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute atthe School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a Japan Foundation Fellow. He has been a collaborator in projects of the United Nations Environment Programme and involved in research exchange with collaborators in many countries. He was a finalist of the TW Kambule-NSTF Award for research in 2016 and a finalist in Research for Engineering Capacity Development NSTF Awards. He is also a reviewer for more than 20 international journals and is a member of the editorial boards/committees of 5 journals. He has successfully supervised many Master’s and Doctoral students as well as postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Keith F. Carter is a chartered mechanical and nuclear consultant engineer who has also trained as a naval architect. He is a director and principal consultant for Keimar Consultancy in Leicester, England. Over the last 15 years Keith has been associated with a wide variety of engineering projects for Rolls-Royce at Derby, England in both the nuclear marine and aerospace divisions principally specializing in structural integrity issues. He has also carried out other significant projects in a variety of fields, including the analysis of AGR graphite cores for British Energy (EDF). Dr. Carter also holds the post of Visiting Design Professor within the Department of Engineering at the University of Leicester in England, bringing in considerable engineering and industrial experience to the teaching of students and to various research projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Statistical Mechanics using Computer Simulation, both from the Royal Holloway College of the University of London and has authored over 30 academic papers as well as numerous reports for client companies.