Dr. Kirk received a Ph.D. in history with an emphasis on the American West and Environmental history from the University of New Mexico, 1998.
Dr. Kirk came to UNLV after teaching at Syracuse University in the Fall of 1999 to start the public history program. Since coming to Las Vegas, he has worked to found Preserve Nevada a statewide historic and cultural preservation organization with a diverse statewide board of directors headed by former U.S. Senator Richard Bryan. Dr. Kirk also worked with graduate students to research, record and nominate Nevada and regional properties and sites to the National Register of Historic Places and establish a series of federal agency partnerships linking the UNLV pubic history program with outstanding cultural resource research opportunities in the West. Current projects include: an eight-year partnership with the National Park Service to research the historic and cultural resources of Western National Parks, Yosemite has been a particular focus with two long-term student driven projects ongoing, the Nevada Test Site Oral history Project funded with $900,000 in grants from the Departments of Energy and Education, and the Autry National Center Fellowship that tracks graduate students through a special program ending with a research residency at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, California.