Kurt Illerbrun

>> CV and education Although I am currently doing my PhD in Ecology, I have taken a circuitous route to get here. After home-schooling in rural Vancouver Island and attending public school in Japan, I completed the last 2 years of high school at Brentwood College in Mill Bay, BC. Next I undertook an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in the Arts & Science program at McMaster University, minoring in Ecology and Japanese language. My undergraduate thesis work in media and cultural studies then led me to pursue a Master's degree on the role of political cartoons in Japanese socio-political discourse at the University of Oxford, UK. Upon completion of that degree I indulged my interest in the natural world by undertaking an PhD in Ecology at the University of Alberta, with the ultimate goal of combining my interests. Though media studies and Ecology may seem unrelated, I see the importance of communication as a common thread: media studies examines the very root of cultural communication, while Ecology aims to interpret the natural world to other scientists and, I believe even more importantly, to the community as a whole.

A camera on a pole...

Education

- B.Arts.Sc., McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada (2000-2004)

- M.St., University of Oxford, Oxford, UK (2004-2005)

- Ph.D, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (2006-present)

Awards and grants

- Governor General's bronze medal (2000); McMaster award scholarship & dean's honour list (2000-2004)

- Graduate distinction, University of Oxford (2004-2005)

- ACA Biodiversity grant (2007 & 2010); ASRPWF Development Initiative grant (2007 & 2009)

- BioSci Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007), Special Commendation (2008), UTS Teaching Award (2009) and Graduate Student Teaching Award (2009)

- The DeWind Award for Invertebrate Conservation (2008)

- Queen Elizabeth II PhD Scholarship (2009 & 2010)

View/download my full CV in Adobe .pdf format HERE.
Need Adobe Acrobat? Get it here.

>> Small town Vancouver Island I grew up on a small hobby farm in rural Vancouver Island, but I now call the town of Chemainus—"the little town that did," as it prefers—home. Long an important lumber town, Chemainus diversified its economic portfolio in the early 80s by painting the town's walls with murals depicting its history. The venture was quite successful, and the town of just over 4000 people still sees tourists in the hundreds of thousands pass through each year. But even if murals aren't your thing, Vancouver Island is still worth a visit—it's a nice spot.

Learn more about Vancouver Island HERE.

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