Tiendung (TJ) Le

Dr Tiendung (TJ) Le is a passionate educator and researcher in project management. He is a pioneer in using the case method in project management education, and has played a leading role in bringing this discussion-based pedagogy into the field. Through facilitated discussion, he helps students learn to analyse deeply, think critically, make decisions with incomplete information, and engage constructively with different points of view. He believes this is one of the most effective ways to prepare professionals for a life of learning and growth. His teaching aims to develop well-rounded project professionals and leaders with judgement, confidence, agility, and audacity. In recognition of his contribution to teaching, he received the DSC College Teaching Award in 2022.

TJ is a strong advocate for students and for the broader development of the project management profession. As Program Manager of the Master of Project Management from 2018 to 2024, he mentored many students at RMIT and was instrumental in supporting project management students to build their student society into one of the largest and most successful clubs of its kind in Australia. He also helped the society become the first PMI student club in Australia. Under his guidance, many students have gone on to become active members, volunteers, and leaders in professional bodies such as PMI and its local chapters. TJ was instrumental in a number of innovations in the teaching and curriculum of the MPM program, including the introduction of new courses that align well with the new development and requirements of the industry.

As a researcher, TJ focuses on how project success is shaped well before delivery begins. His work centres on front end planning, project delivery systems, and agility in projects. He is particularly interested in how front end planning can be both rigorous and adaptive in the face of uncertainty; how owners and project parties can work together through project delivery systems (procurement methods) that promote collaboration, sustainability, good governance, and value creation; and how projects and their participants develop agility and apply Agile and Lean principles to maximise learning and value delivery. TJ is also deeply committed to developing future project leaders and to advancing the quality and impact of project management education through research collaboration.

TJ brings a combination of academic and industry experience from Australia, the United States, and Vietnam. While completing his doctoral studies at The University of Texas at Austin, he worked mainly in front end planning and risk management under the supervision of Dr Carlos Caldas and Dr G. Edward Gibson Jr. He later moved to Vietnam, where he worked in senior management roles in real estate development, co-founded a project management consulting and training company, and trained scores of practitioners. Before joining RMIT full-time in 2015, he also taught in Vietnam at the National University of Civil Engineering and at RMIT Vietnam.

Beyond the university, TJ is an active leader in the profession. He sees leadership as service and empowerment. He served for seven years on the PMI Melbourne Chapter Board, including as President and Immediate Past President. Under his leadership, the chapter won PMI Global’s Chapter of the Year Award in 2024. He also co-founded and chaired the PMI Asia Pacific Agile Special Interest Group, which grew into one of PMI’s most active regional communities and connected thousands of project professionals through events such as symposia and collaborations across PMI chapters around the world.

TJ lives in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges in the east of Melbourne with his family. He enjoys gardening and making coffee.