In a field often seen as rigid and exclusive, Prof Anne Fitchett has built a career doing the opposite — breaking down barriers and creating new pathways for those historically excluded from engineering.

“I’ve always believed our role as educators goes far beyond the lecture hall,” she says. “We are here to nurture lifelong learners and future problem-solvers who can carry the profession forward with innovation and integrity.”

Fitchett is an honorary associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and served as assistant dean in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment before retiring. She has received the NSTF-South32 Award for Engineering Research Capacity Development, recognising her decades-long commitment to reshaping how engineering is taught — and who gets to learn it.

“We live in a region with a severe shortage of engineers, which inhibits economic growth and infrastructure delivery,” she says, citing load-shedding as an example of what happens when engineering capacity can’t meet demand.

At Wits, she led major curriculum reforms, including the introduction of a Common First Year — a foundational programme that replaced high failure rates with improved student success and deeper engagement.

“Before its introduction, the first year was de facto a gatekeeping year,” she says. Her team’s cross-disciplinary approach integrated engineering, science, humanities and ethics, resulting in what she calls “a programme more holistic and better aligned with the ethos of the engineering profession”.

Fitchett also designed a part-time study track to address the thousands of eligible applicants turned away each year because of financial barriers. The programme spreads the first two years over four, with after-hours classes that allow students to work while studying. “It’s about giving people the tools and the time to succeed.”

Her focus on accessibility extended to physical and academic inclusion. Working with the Wits Disability Rights Unit, she helped pilot universal accessibility measures on campus, from infrastructure to tech-enabled learning. “When you create systems that support all learners, you create a stronger and more inclusive profession.”

She championed project-based learning and led Wits’s participation in the Engineering Without Borders Global Challenge, where student teams designed real-world solutions for vulnerable communities. Under her guidance, Wits won twice in three years. “The feedback was phenomenal when students saw how engineering could uplift communities and solve tangible problems.”

Beyond teaching, she has supervised numerous MSc and PhD students, often working with professionals juggling full-time jobs. Her secret? Meeting students where they are and co-creating research paths that align with their passions.

“The most important thing,” she says, “is that their work feels meaningful. Success isn’t only in the numbers. It’s in the conversations years later, when someone tells you that something you did helped shape their career.”

She is honoured by the NSTF recognition but quick to share credit: “Ultimately, this award recognises a number of my colleagues in both the academic and administrative parts of the university. Building research capacity is a multi-faceted endeavour and a team effort, and I am proud to have been a part of this throughout my academic career.”

Read the special Mail & Guardian supplement about all the NSTF-South32 Award winners.