Ngiare Brown is the first female and the first indigenous chancellor of James Cook University. She’s joined the institution at a time when efforts to indigenise Australian higher education are taking root, with the recent interim report of the Universities Accord saying that putting First Nations at the heart of Australian higher education would result in positive, long-term changes. 

Dr. Brown intends to make higher education a place for indigenous students, starting with James Cook, one of her alma maters – a goal which she balances with an acknowledgment of the legacy of the university’s namesake. In this interview, she talks about what she’d like to see changed in Australian higher education, how researchers should engage better with First Nations communities and how a welcome to country statement can make a big difference when it’s done the right way.