From an elective to a career, how working with biomaterial inspired one alum
Ever wondered where a Monash degree will take you? We caught up Mia Tiernan, a Bachelor of Spatial Design alum who graduated in 2021. During her degree, Mia undertook an elective which explored working with biomaterials like mycelium, the root structure of fungi. This inspired a passion for sustainable materials and sparked a subsequent career working in this field – here’s what she had to say.
Image: Mycoustics, Mia Tiernan
How did your degree at Monash inform and influence your career?
When completing my Bachelor of Spatial Design I became passionate about biodesign and sustainable design materials, specifically mycelium which I had been introduced to in one of Monash’s elective classes run by Dr Gyungju Chyon called ‘Mycoustics’. For those who are unsure, mycelium is the root structure of fungi and can be grown into almost any shape or size.
Image: Mycoustics, Mia Tiernan
What happened after you graduated?
After graduating I was given the opportunity to work at Monash University with Gyungju as a Research Assistant where we continued to work with mycelium as a sustainable design material.
After this, I had been planning to move to London with the intention of finding a job. With my increasing interest in mycelium, I became curious about how it could be used at a larger scale so I began to research any companies that were using it within the UK.
Once I moved over I began my job search and kept it fairly broad because of the skills I had gained from spatial design but was also keeping my eye out for jobs specific to mycelium-based companies. Eventually, I found a Production Assistant role at Biohm in London, a multi-award-winning research and development company that harnesses the power of mycelium as well as biotechnologies and bio-based solutions for various industries and sectors.
Image: Mycoustics, Mia Tiernan
What are you doing now?
I’m still at Biohm and have since been promoted from an assistant to a senior production operative role. In this position, I’m responsible for the daily operations and production of our standard mycelium panels. Currently, we are researching these mycelium panels for construction because mycelium has a range of qualities such as insulation, acoustic and fire-proof qualities.
What advice would you give to students thinking about doing the course?
Definitely take advantage of the wide range of electives that are offered – as I did with the ‘Mycoustics’ elective, which I’ve now gone into a job specifically using mycelium. By doing an elective, you might find your niche.
I would also say push your imaginative skills and experimentation in every possible way during projects – even if you come across failings or something not being as successful as you’d hoped, sometimes, there’s a lot more to learn from this than your best work.
Read more about Monash University’s work with mycelium: