CV

Kirill Fessenko

Education

    • 2024-pres.: PhD Candidate, Languages and Cultures of the Silk Road program, BerGSAS (Freie Universität, Berlin)
      • Topic: Analogical Change in Pamiri Languages 
      • Supervisor: Desmond Drukin-Meisterernst
      • DAAD scholarship holder
    • 2020-2024 : Preparatory PhD studies (Concordia University, Montreal)
      • Fieldwork translation of Ossetic folk songs, preliminary analysis of stress in Ossetic folk songs, poetry analysis of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh
    • 2015-2020 : MA in linguistics (Concordia University, Montreal)
      • Topic : Clitics in Ossetic
      • Supervisor : Mark Hale
      • Jury : Mark Hale, Madelyn Kissock, Denis Lyakin
        • Extensive fieldwork with a native speaker
        • July 2019 – August 2019 : Networking trip to Ossetia
          • Establishing contact with the State University of Ossetia and the V.I. Abaev North-Ossetian Institute of Humanitarian and Social Studies
          • Participation in the ethnomusicological conference “Issues in the traditional culture of mountain peoples” (Vladikavkaz)
        • June 2018 – October 2018 :
          • Language studies diploma from the International Center for Persian Studies Dehkhoda (Tehran)
          • Documentation and collection of a small corpus of the Abduyi language – a variety of Kurdish spoken far from traditional Kurdish-speaking territories
        • 2013-2014 : Interuniversity exchange for beginner and intermediate classes in Persian (McGill University, Montreal)
    • 2009-2014: Bachelor of Arts and Science: Honours Linguistics, Major Film Animation (Concordia University, Montreal)
        • With distinction, Dean’s list.
        • Honours course topic: Old Novgorodian Birchbark manuscripts.
        • September 2015 – April 2016 free auditor for courses on Slavic Diachrony and Old Slavic, taught by Claire le Feuvre at INaLCO (Paris)
    • 2014: TESOL/TESL/TEFL Teacher Training Certification Course (Oxford Seminars, Montreal)
    • 2013: Piano performance Collegiate II diploma (McGill Conservatory, Montreal)
    • 2012: Piano performance Secondary V diploma (McGill Conservatory, Montreal)
    • 2011: Piano performance Secondary III diploma (McGill Conservatory, Montreal)
    • 2007-2009: Diploma of Collegial Studies: Liberal Arts (Marianopolis College, Montréal)
    • 2002-2007: Secondary school diploma (Collège de Montréal)

Languages

  • English, French, Russian (read, written, spoken)
  • Farsi, German (intermediate)

Conference presentations

  • June 2025 : Satellite workshop of the 6th Phonetics and Phonology in Europe (PaPE) : Prosody in Languages of the Middle East (Palma, Spain)
    • Topic : Extended Rhyme in the Shahnameh
  • January 2025 : 10th International Conference on Iranian Linguistics (Viterbo, Italy)
    • Topic : Text Setting in Ossetic

Teaching

  • 2019-2022 : Instructor at Concordia University (Montreal)
      • Lecturer for the course Ling200 – Introduction to linguistic science.
        • 32 hours per semester (x7)
        • Author of a series of animated video lectures, aimed at presenting the course material online during the pandemic
        • Taught at the undergraduate level
      • Language instructor for the course RUS398 – Introductory Russian
        • 32 hours per semester (x2)
        • Taught at the undergraduate level
  • 2016-2024: Analytical sketching instructor for the Creative Art Foundation of Canada (Montreal)
      • Introduction to the basics of drawing following a 10-course program centered on human anatomy and perspective.
      • Personalised classes for students preparing portfolios to enter university fine arts programs and animation colleges
      • Between 40 and 70 hours of classes monthly
      • Individualised classes, small groups (3-4 students) and large groups (15 students)
      • 2019: Creation and small-scale printing of a personally authored drawing manual (unpublished)
        • June 2019: Business trip to China, presenting teaching methods aimed at developing the art student’s imagination.
          • Presentations for an audience of managers (Fine arts institute of Hangzhou)
          • Workshops for an audience of art teachers (ArtZoom Center, Hangzhou)

Translation

  • 2015: Intern at Synstudio concept art school (Montreal)
      • Translator and reviewer for the official school website’s French version
  • 2014-2015: Animator, editor, illustrator and translator at Dash Computer Solutions (Montreal)
      • Creator of an animated promotional video
      • Creator of tutorials for scheduling software based on existing documentation manuals
      • Translator of software documentation from English to French and vice versa

Grants

  •  2025:
    • BerGSAS travel grant
  • 2024:
    • DAAD PhD scholarship
  •  2018:
    • LOJIQ Travel grant
    • Concordia graduate student mobility award
  • 2013:
    • Concordia University Fine Arts undergraduate travel grant