Person

May, James Richard (Jim) (1934 - 2023)

AM FTSE HonFAusIMM

Born
20 July 1934
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Died
6 June 2023
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Chemical engineer and Metallurgical Engineer

Summary

James May FTSE HonFAusIMM was the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Mineral Industries Research Association (AMIRA), from 1968 until his retirement in 1994. He took the lead role in developing AMIRA and its collaborative research, bringing together the world's best researchers in geology, mining and minerals processing with industry sponsors, to make it the pre-eminent minerals research organisation in the world. As its head, he became an adviser to governments throughout the world on research and development management and the strategic management of technological change.

He was a Board member of several Cooperative Research Centres including the Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment, and was heavily involved with the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, and the Sir James Foots School of Mineral Resources at the University of Queensland, and the Ian Wark Centre at the University of South Australia. He was an official Visitor under the CRC Scheme and a Director of the Australian Minerals and Energy Environment Foundation, as well as an advisory committee member for many university departments throughout Australia and various divisions of CSIRO.

His distinguished contribution to advancing research and technology in the mineral industries was recognised when he was awarded: The Institute Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1992; an honorary Doctor of the University, University of South Australia in 1993; Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1994; an honorary Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland in 1994; made an Honorary Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 2021, and posthumously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2024.

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Details

Chronology

1956
Education - Bachelor of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Adelaide
c. 1956 - 1958
Career position - Metallurgist, Broken Hill South Mine, New South Wales
1958 - 1967
Career position - Research scientist, Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC), Sydney, New South Wales
1961
Education - Master of Science in Chemical Technology, University of New. South Wales
1963
Career position - Visiting scientist, Atomic Energy Authority, United Kingdom
1964
Career position - Visiting scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, United States of America
1967 - 1968
Career position - Head of chemical engineering section, Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC), Sydney, New South Wales
1968 - 1994
Career position - Chief executive officer, Australian Mineral Industries Research Association Limited (AMIRA), Melbourne
1991
Career position - Member of the Australian Research Council committee that reviewed Key Centre and Special Research Centre programs
1992
Award - Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Industry - Australian Mineral Industries Research Association Limited: for successful management and operations of AMIRA through providing quality development and management of jointly funded research projects for the benefit of the Association's members
1992
Award - Institute Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
1993
Award - Doctor of the University, honoris causa, University of South Australia
1994
Award - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), honoris causa, University of Queensland
1994
Life event - Retired
1994 - 2023
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
c. 1995 - c. 1996
Career position - Director, Australian Minerals and Energy Environment Foundation
2001
Award - Centenary Medal - for service to Australian society in mineral science and engineering
2021 - 2023
Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFAusIMM), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
2023
Life event - Cremated, Fawkner Memorial Park
2024
Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for significant service to mining research and governance, and to the community

Related Awards

  • The Institute Medal, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (1935 - )

    Awarded the Medal 1992. "In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the initiation and management of mineral research and technology through his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Mineral Industries Research Association (AMIRA) and involvement with research organisations throughout Australia."

Published resources

Journal Articles

Newspaper Articles

Resources

See also

  • Beale, Bob, Engineering a Legacy: Memories of the journey of CSIRO Chemical Engineering (Clayton, Victoria: CSIRO Minerals, 2005), 124 pp. pages 70. Details

Ken McInnes

Created: 21 November 2023, Last modified: 2 July 2024

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