Cam Goater

Dr. Cam Goater is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta. Dr. Tim Goater is a professor in the Biology Department at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

The brothers’ shared fascination for the ecological sciences can be traced back to their early years in northern Ontario.

Tim and Cam completed their B.Sc. degrees (Zoology) at Brandon University in 1983 and 1985, respectively. Mentorship of both brothers by the late Dr. Al Bush in the Department of Zoology at BU sparked their interests to pursue post-graduate studies in ecological parasitology.

Tim Goater

Cam obtained his Ph.D. degree at University of Exeter, England, followed by post-doctoral research stints at University of Zurich and University of Alberta. Cam eventually settled on the grasslands in southern Alberta in 1997. Tim obtained his Ph.D. degree at Wake Forest University, North Carolina and moved to Vancouver Island in 1990 to start his faculty position.

Both brothers teach courses in Parasitology and Invertebrate Zoology, with Cam adding Field Biology and Tim adding Entomology. Both brothers have research programs that seek to understand the complex phenomenon of parasitism in diverse animals, specifically unravelling the secrets of how parasites influence the ecology and evolution of their hosts.

A highlight of their teaching and research academic careers is the textbook published by Cambridge University Press that Tim and Cam co-wrote together, ‘Parasitism: The Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites’. Their text supports parasitology and ecology courses at universities around the world.

Cam was awarded the prestigious Wardle Medal from the Canadian Society of Zoologists in 2019 in recognition of research excellence in parasitology. Tim was presented the VIU Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016 and the President’s Award for Community Leadership in 2021.

Both brothers are especially proud of their Brandon roots and have many fond memories of their fun-filled years at Brandon University.

Tim and Cam received the Distinguished Alumni award for Career Achievement in 2021.