Meet Jamil, the Yorta Yortaman passionate about his community and education.

Jamil, a proud Yorta Yorta/Boon Wurrung man and will now be responsible for leading Monash University’s community engagement across all our campuses. Mr Jami Tye has been appointed to the inaugural role of Executive Director, External Community Engagement and Impact at Monash University.

Mr Tye’s family has been an integral part of the Aboriginal activism movement throughout Victoria since the 1880s and he continues to follow in their footsteps. He completed a Bachelor of Science before working as a geologist with BHP in the Pilbara Western Australia, and later returned to Monash to complete a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) combining his studies with employment at the Department of Health and Human Services where he designed, developed and delivered policy, programs and initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing for Aboriginal Victorians.

In his new role as the Associate Director, External Community Engagement and Impact, he will oversee opportunities for Monash to further move out from our campuses and into the communities around us helping Monash to be an anchor institution where local communities and industry intersect seamlessly with our world-leading education and research.

Jamil’s Monash Journey

Why did you pick Monash Science?

In the early 2000s I attended my Auntie’s graduation at Monash and was really impressed by the facilities and sheer size of the campus. I returned for an Open Day, listened to some of the academics speak about where Monash was heading, and just felt like it was a great fit.

What are your reflections and highlights of your experience at Monash Science?

“Monash is an amazing place to study. The teachers and facilities are absolutely world class - something you might not fully appreciate until you graduate. Working with people from all over the world at BHP and listening to their study experiences at University, I realised how lucky I was to attend Monash.”

Throughout my study here, I had some amazing teachers, and there were several that stood out - it was Marion Anderson who encouraged me to pursue a path in geosciences. Bruce Shaeffer and Peter Betts were also wonderful and inspired a sense of enjoyment in what we were learning. I also deeply appreciated the opportunity to study under Professor Ray Cas who always incorporated First Nations examples in his teachings wherever possible. As a Koorie student, this really helped foster a sense of inclusion and belonging - something he may not have even known he was consciously doing.”

Geology provided the opportunity to get outdoors and attend field trips - we visited Inverloch, Jan Juc, Bendigo, Mount Gambier, Broken Hill and my personal favourite, Buchan. The trips allowed us to apply what we had learnt in a practical way, and also provided an opportunity to form really strong bonds with other students - many of whom I am still very close with today. The friendships I made were certainly a highlight of my experience at Monash.

What did you do post your Science Degree?

“After completing my Bachelor of Science, I gained a graduate position with BHP Billiton. He was working in the Pilbara region in Western Australia within the Iron Ore operations sector, and undertook rotations through geotechnical and mine geology roles. I then commenced work as a Mine Geologist – “Working in the Pilbara was an absolutely amazing experience, I saw some amazing places in the Pilbara, mapping geological structures that were well over a billion years old”

I returned to Monash University in 2016 to study a Masters of Teaching (Secondary). Before I graduated, I was offered a position with the Victorian Government working in the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Branch as a Senior Policy Officer, where I was then seconded for one year into KPMG’s Government Advisory Services. I then returned back to a role in government prior to returning to Monash”

In 2018 he returned to Monash University as the Director of Indigenous Engagement at the William Cooper Institute, which aims to increase the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across Australia within secondary schools and strengthen awareness of the University’s education pathways, programs, scholarships and schemes for First Nations participants. Jamil noted it was a privilege to work at the Institute and a career highlight, especially given it is named after one of his family members.

In his current role he will combine his deep and abiding understanding of community development with his love for Monash, where he will oversee opportunities for Monash to further move out from campuses and into communities around us.

We congratulate Jamil on his new appointment and wish him success in his next chapter.