Passion has driven Laue

Michelline Nawatises



Heinrich Laue was born and raised in Windhoek. When he was young, he loved taking things apart, even if it meant dealing with the subsequent disappointment of having broken a brand-new toy. “I clearly remember the anger and frustration when a particular toy was held together by a special type of screw for which I did not have the correct screwdriver,” he says.

As he grew older, he discovered computers, which became his hobby. His first computer was recycled from a rubbish dump - he loved fixing computers. He taught himself programming from around grade 5 and entered programming-based projects for the Science Fair several times from grade 7 onwards.

In Grade 11 (2009) Laue took a different route and submitted a team-based Science Fair project with a friend of his, where they developed a system for generating hydrogen from scrap aluminium.

“We came first in Namibia that year, and obtained a gold medal at the South African Eskom Expo for Young Scientists in Pretoria,” he said. The excitement of discovery, and in particular the opportunity to share discoveries with a friend, was indescribable and inspired him to study engineering.

Laue completed grade 12 at Windhoek Technical High School in 2010, achieving second place countrywide in the NSSCH examinations. He spent the next eight years at the University of Pretoria. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) in electronic engineering in 2014. In 2015 the driven Laue completed his Bachelor of Engineering Honours (B.Eng.Hons) in electronic engineering and started with the research topic that would eventually become his PhD topic.

In 2016 he enrolled for a master's degree in electronic engineering, and in 2017 he converted his registration to a PhD on the recommendation of his supervisor. “I obtained my PhD in engineering in 2020 at the age of 28,” Laue says.

He held a bursary from NamWater, which allowed him to pursue postgraduate studies on a full-time basis, delaying his employment until 2019 when he returned to Windhoek and started working. “During my postgraduate years, I worked part-time as an assistant lecturer to help fund my studies,” he added.

His PhD research was in the field of antenna arrays where he designed and manufactured a new type of antenna-array system, published his work in several international journals, and presented his work at conferences in South Africa and Australia.

All about the job

People often ask him what electronic engineering has to do with NamWater. NamWater's infrastructure is monitored remotely by telemetry, and his department is responsible for installing the equipment that makes this possible. “We make use of our own radio networks across the country to relay the information to our servers, and utilise the cellular network in some areas,” he says. As an electronic engineer, his job is to design and install new telemetry systems and assist with the maintenance of these systems.

Challenges and Accomplishments

Adapting from an academic environment to the industry has been challenging. He had to learn patience with the way things work in the industry. “In my research, if I had an idea, I simply got to work on it. In industry, projects depend on complex interactions between different people, and I had to learn how to work effectively with people, and how to be patient when things take time.”

His biggest accomplishment was completing a PhD, “and my biggest blessing was being able to have fun doing so,” he says.

Depending on which phase a particular project is in, Laue could be sitting at his desk calling suppliers, doing a design on his computer, assembling equipment in the workshop, or installing equipment somewhere in Namibia. He spends most of his time at the head office in Windhoek, but also get the opportunity to travel all over the country, which is a great perk of his job.

What keeps him going

“I love accomplishing something that at first seemed impossible. This could be fixing something, solving a complex problem or even understanding something new,” he says. He can stick with a problem for a long time without giving up. He cherishes deep friendships, where they try to make sense of life together.

“I enjoy roasting coffee on my self-built roasting machine, ballroom and Latin-American dancing, and amateur photography. I danced ballroom and Latin-American competitively for a while in Pretoria, and joined the local salsa club when I moved back to Windhoek,” he adds.

The advice he would give to other young people is to cultivate curiosity. “Curiosity and effort combined have been shown to be as significant in predicting academic performance as natural ability,” he says. “If you want to set yourself apart, learn to be curious.”

He adds that you must intentionally ask questions about things that you would not normally be interested in, and talk to people that you would not normally relate to.

The path he chose is not a typical one; not many people in the industry have a PhD at the start of their career. His short-term goal is to register as a professional engineer with the Engineering Council of Namibia, and NamWater has been very supportive in helping him attain this goal. “I could see myself returning to a research-based environment, but for now I am focused on gaining practical engineering experience,” he says.

When asked what the best phase in his life was, he singles out his four years of full-time postgraduate studies. He says he had complete freedom to find a routine that worked for him.

“I am still amazed by how productive I was during that time. I always went to bed with an interesting problem on my mind, and often woke up with inspiration,” he adds. Laue had enough free time to take up new hobbies and made some amazing new friends. “After a gruelling undergraduate degree, I finally felt like I had a balanced life,” he says.

Pull Quote: “Intentionally ask questions about things that you would not normally be interested in, and talk to people that you would not normally relate to.” Heinrich Laue