Top University of Pretoria Informatics graduate applies his expertise to benefit industry

Mikhail Edwards, a Masters of Information Technology (MIT) degree graduate from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Informatics in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, wants to make a difference to society at the intersection of software development, business analysis, project management and strategic leadership.

He impressed his supervisors with his creativity and passion to learn when he completed the two-year master’s programme in only 10 months. As partner and managing director of the South African branch of the software development company Cirrus Bridge, he is now serving the industry with his insight and critical, innovative thinking.

Despite not having any information technology (IT)-related subjects in matric, his initial interest was in the business side of Informatics. He later became invested in IT, especially its application in business system analysis. “As my father had an IT company, I knew what it entailed, and always knew I wanted to do something innovative in that line,” he explains.

After completing his BCom Informatics: Information Systems degree in 2022, he enrolled for an honours degree, which he obtained with distinction at the end of 2023, followed by an MIT: ICT Management degree, which he also obtained with distinction at the end of 2024. He is currently enrolled for his PhD in Information Systems, where he is developing a maturity model that integrates DevOps (the practice of combining software development and IT operations to deliver software solutions faster, more reliably, and with greater stability) and enterprise architecture management for business value creation.

During 2024, while completing his master’s degree, he served as an assistant lecturer in the Department of Informatics and worked as a coordinator in the Department’s User Experience (UX) Laboratories. Although he had initially chosen to conduct research on merging business analysis with UX design to provide industry with better solutions through the identification of better requirements, he discarded this for a topic with greater industry application. This followed his appointment as a student intern at the BMW IT Hub, where the company suggested a topic that was identified as a need in the motor industry: using artificial intelligence (AI) anticipatory functions to establish the efficacy of cloud-hosted systems.

Prof Hanlie Smuts, Head of the Department of Informatics and Mikhail’s research supervisor, describes him as an inspirational student. “In both his honours and his master’s research, I found him to be very focused and goal oriented. He does not procrastinate and ensures that his work is always finished in good time. He has an excellent work ethic, applies what he has learnt, and practices good time management.” These are qualities that will serve him well in his career.

Since his research was completed ahead of schedule, he had the opportunity, together with his supervisor, to present his findings at the 17^th International Conference on Information Systems of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) in Portugal in 2024. This led to an invitation to expand on his research for a peer-reviewed article published in the International Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems. “This is a major achievement for a postgraduate student,” says Prof Smuts. She believes that he could make a career for himself in academia, but that he would be just as successful carving a career for himself in industry. “However, his impact on society would perhaps be better achieved in industry.”

The decision to join the start-up company that had been established by his brother Patric in the Netherlands reveals his desire to apply his knowledge in different industries. “It appealed to the entrepreneur in me, and responded to the desire I have always had to make a difference.” His aim is to build an international company that can leverage business value for its clients.

He attributes the success he has achieved, to a large extent, to his decision to enrol in the University of Pretoria’s Department of Informatics after matric. It has taken him through his entire post-school life cycle, from student to industry. “It is a top-ranked department in Africa, and the lecturers prepare one for a career in industry by keeping up to date with the latest developments.” He believes this has equipped him to add value to any business, from a start-up to a leader in industry. “The Department ensures that its graduates have the relevant skills when they enter industry. I could not have asked for any better.”