Dr Mathetha Mokonyama is a collaborator and a lifelong student of the fusion of advances in science, engineering, economics and the arts to enhance quality of life. He has an excellent track record in the development of a sustainable pipeline for young professionals in the built environment domain, as well as for the positioning of institutions and teams for impact. He is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa in the civil engineering discipline and earned his PhD in Engineering in the specialist field of transportation engineering. Apart from professional experience in research and development at the CSIR, he worked in local government and as an engineering consultant, advising in areas of development planning, sustainable mobility, service design, infrastructure economics, and modelling of policy choices. He served in various capacities including being a Member of the African Policy, Research & Advisory Group on Science, Technology and Innovation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Chairperson of the Southern African Transport Conference; journal editorial board; and national contact point for international research collaboration between South Africa and the European Union. He continues to support various universities through post-graduate student supervision.