Melonie Bayl-Smith LFRAIA is Director and Founder of Bijl Architecture and Associate Professor in the School of Built Environment at UNSW FADA. Well known for her active involvement in the wider architecture profession for over 20 years, in 2018 Melonie was awarded the Paula Whitman Prize for Leadership in Gender Equity at the Institute's National Achievement in Architecture Awards. This award recognised her ongoing contributions to the professional bodies, architectural education, critique and academic research, speaking engagements, awards juries, and boards and committees. In particular, Melonie uses her teaching in professional practice and design studios to explore and research current issues for the profession.

Melonie’s dynamism and integrity have led to her peer election to the NSW Architects Registration Board (2017-2020) and the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter Council (2015-2017). She served as the NSW APE Convenor from 2017-24 and is a current AACA Assessor. Most recently, Melonie served on the Institute's National Committee for Gender Equity as both a member and Co-Chair (2018-20) where she was involved with gender equity policy reviews and the establishment of the Honours and Awards working group. In December 2020, Melonie was made a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Full of spirit and creativity, Melonie believes in the potential of architecture to influence and change how people live. Under her direction, Bijl Architecture focuses on inventive and imaginative problem solving and continuous learning through research.