Rate My Professor Dylan Korczynskyj

Associate Professor Dylan Korczynskyj is the Program Coordinator for the Science BSc (Hons) at the University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Arts and Sciences. Holding a BSc (Hons) in zoology and a PhD in plant ecology, he joined the university in 2003 to help establish the Bachelor of Science program and has since led its review and refinement. Previously, he served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer from 2003 to 2009, Associate Professor from 2010 onward, and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 2009 to 2014. Prior to Notre Dame, Korczynskyj taught environmental biology at Curtin University from 1999 to 2002, worked with Agriculture Western Australia, and supported research for the Department of Conservation and Land Management. His teaching covers Australian ecology and environmental issues, plant and animal ecophysiology, botany, molecular and cell biology, and science communication. He has supervised numerous higher degree by research and honours students on topics such as tree establishment in mine restoration, sedimentation dynamics, bird pollination, cycad survival, wetland treatment, and habitat preferences.

Korczynskyj's research focuses on ecology and plant biology, including ecophysiology, fire ecology, evolution, and environmental restoration. Key contributions include studies on grasstree (Xanthorrhoea preissii) recovery and leaf growth post-fire (2005), ecology and ecophysiology of grasstrees (Turner Review No. 8, 2004), re-establishing the cycad Macrozamia riedlei after mining (2011), variable tree establishment in bauxite mine restoration (2019), and high summer temperatures' effects on Cistaceae seed germination (2021). He has published in journals such as Australian Journal of Botany, Austral Ecology, Plant Ecology, and Ecological Management & Restoration, and contributed a chapter on gauging fire history using grasstrees (2002). Awards recognizing his teaching excellence include Vice-Chancellor's Awards in 2011 and 2021, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation in 2009, and a WA Children’s Week Award in 2001. Korczynskyj engages the community through memberships in the Ecological Society of Australia and Royal Society of Western Australia, service on the WA Coordinating Committee for National Science Week, collaborations with PICA gallery, and contributions to events like The Biodiversity Conference 2021.