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.
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
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
- 1994
- Life event - Retired
- 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
- 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 entries
Published resources
Newspaper Articles
- May, Richard, 'Outstanding contribution advanced mineral research and technology [Obituary: James Richard May (July 20, 1934 - June 6, 2023)]', The Age (2023), 33, https://www.theage.com.au/national/outstanding-contribution-advanced-mineral-research-and-technology-20230826-p5dzn2.html. Details
Resources
- 'Awarded honorary PhD, 1994 [Citation provided]', Honorary awards recipients, University of Queensland, 2023, https://alumni.uq.edu.au/awards/honorary-awards-previous-recipients. Details
Ken McInnes
Created: 21 November 2023, Last modified: 31 January 2024