Rate My Professor Julian Kuzma

Julian Kuzma holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Otago, awarded in 2003. His doctoral thesis, titled 'Landscape, literature and identity: New Zealand late colonial literature as environmental text, 1890-1921,' was supervised by Tom Brooking and Lawrence Jones from the History and English Departments. The work examines New Zealand late colonial literature as an environmental text, focusing on themes of landscape, identity, and transformation during the period. During his doctoral studies, Kuzma published 'New Zealand Landscape and Literature, 1890-1925' in the journal Environment and History. In the article, affiliated with the History and English Departments at the University of Otago, he asserts that New Zealand literature from 1890 to 1925 provides a wealth of unparalleled information for environmental historians. A central theme is the removal of indigenous bush and its conversion into a British-modelled pastoral paradise. The era's poetry and fiction reveal perceptions and attitudes toward this environmental change that other documentary sources do not convey.

Kuzma contributed to the Department of English at the University of Otago as editor of the 1913 novel 'The Merry Marauders' by Arthur J. Rees, providing editorial notes alongside Lisa Marr. The edition was published by the Department of English in 2007 (ISBN 978-0-473-13040-4). He also served as fiction editor for DeepSouth, the English Department's online ezine. Earlier, he completed an honours dissertation titled 'The 1895 Snowstorm' at the University of Otago in 1999. Currently, Julian Kuzma is Senior Prospect Researcher at the University of Otago in the Development and Alumni Relations division's Advancement Services section. He commenced building the institution's prospect development program in 2013, specializing in data-driven prospect research within constrained environments. As Treasurer of APRA Australia, he advocates for the value and impact of prospect development, voicing the specific challenges faced by New Zealand prospect research professionals. Additionally, he served as an associate editor for the Environment and Nature in New Zealand journal.