Chioniso Kuchwa-Dube
AfOx and Female Academic Leaders Fellow (FALF)
South Africa
Dr Chioniso Kuchwa-Dube is a Senior Lecturer, and the Head of Mechatronics Engineering in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa. Dr Chionis’s academic background includes undergraduate and Master’s engineering degrees from the University of Cape Town, and a PhD from Wits.
Dr Chioniso is passionate about engineering education and have pioneered the development of a new undergraduate Mechatronic Engineering degree program at Wits. In addition, She has led the development of modules that introduce and familiarise Mining Engineering students to robotics and automation within the mining sector.
Dr Chioniso’s research is driven by a desire to make a positive socio-economic impact through mechatronics and robotics, particularly in Africa. Her work focuses on designing mechatronics and robotic systems that aim at decreasing workplace injuries and fatalities, increasing productivity, and increasing employment opportunities in sectors such as mining, precision agriculture, and manufacturing, while taking sustainability and circularity into account.
Beyond her research, Dr Chioniso has a keen interest in strengthening the education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship ecosystem for mechatronics and robotics across Africa. To advance this goal, she leads the development of a Mechatronics and Robotics Hub at Wits.
Dr Chioniso served as the Chair of the South African (SA) Section’s IEEE Women in Engineering society (WiE) and is a founding member of the IEEE WiE SA Section’s STAR outreach program aimed at encouraging high school learners to consider careers in STEM. Amongst others, Dr Chioniso has been a TechWomen fellow, a Wits Chancellor’s Female Academic Leadership (FALF) fellow, and a Carnegie Diversifying the Academy fellow.
As an AfOx fellow, Dr Chioniso aims to advance her project on autonomous systems for post-blast safety inspection within underground mining. In addition, she aims to develop long-term partnerships within the mechatronics and robotics education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship spaces.