Dr. Ryan Brook [B.Sc. (Maj.) (Zoology) 1996, Masters of Natural Resource Management 2001, Ph.D. (Geography) 2008] is an assistant professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Environment and Geography in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources.

He studies wildlife ecology and wildlife-human interactions and collaborates with aboriginal and rural communities in Canada and internationally. Although he thought that he was going to be a vet during his undergraduate degree through field courses and a volunteer opportunity he got hooked on field ecology. During his masters at the Natural Resources Institute he recognized the opportunities of working with Aboriginal communities.
 
Dr. Brook credits having excellent mentors at the University of Manitoba as the single most important influence on his career success. His PhD supervisor, Dr. McLachlan worked with him to collaborate with rural and Aboriginal communities and do research that was relevant. While in his PhD program, Ryan developed a northern field school in Churchill and Wapusk National Park that he still continues to teach each year with Kristina Hunter in collaboration between the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan. As a truly interdisciplinary researcher he has found a unique position that has allowed him to use the range of skills he developed while at the University of Manitoba.

Ryan's favorite part of his career is to work with tremendously bright, committed, and passionate students that are going to be our future scientists, teachers, and community leaders. To quote Ryan: "I take the responsibility of mentoring and training these students very seriously but we also have a great deal of fun along the way and I’m not always sure who is learning more from the experience, them or me.  I also have tremendous flexibility in my research, teaching, and service work so every day is unique and exciting and I really feel like I am in the driver’s seat and not just following a set of marching orders. That is exciting and very rewarding".