Page 28 - EngineerIT April May Issue 2026
P. 28
WOMEN IN STEM
Making sense of complexity:
the people behind the systems
By Justin Render, with Elsona van Huyssteen, Collaborator for Change, Development Practitioner and Programme Lead
(CSIR Implementation Partner), wears many hats.
oncurrently managing science, At the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),
policy and infrastructure to support her work involves large-scale programmes that develop cities,
Csustainable development is all in a regions and industries. It includes infrastructure planning, policy
day’s work, as Elsona is a rare, unsung heroine alignment, investment strategy and long-term modelling. It also
behind the scenes, assembling all the pieces includes something less visible: intense coordination.
systems need to make our world function.
Development planning operates on long timelines. It requires
The role of a development planner is to make patience, consistency and the ability to work within uncertainty.
sense of that complexity and move it towards Decisions made today may only show their full impact years later.
something workable. Technical, political, The work is demanding. It is also necessary.
economic and social factors intersect, often in
ways that are not immediately visible. The vital role of the generalist
Traditionally, the expectation in STEM careers is to specialise in a
“At face value, it’s about bringing together particular science, for which decisive expertise is valued, and for
different institutions and sectors to support good reason. “In development planning, you become a specialist
sustainable development,” says Elsona. “But so at being a generalist,” explains Elsona.
much goes on beneath the mandate’s surface.”
“That means applying oneself to understanding enough across
multiple disciplines to connect them. You serve as the interpreter
for various technical teams, helping them identify gaps and areas
for alignment.
“The power is not in what you do, it’s in your ability to draw on the
right people. Complex work does not get done by individuals. It
gets done by groups that are aligned, even when their starting
Elsona van Huyssteen points differ.”
28 | EngineerIT April/May 2026
