Trent is a PhD candidate at Melbourne Business School. His project, titled 'The commodification of self in postmodern consumer culture', examines the life experiences of people engaged in self-marketing and personal branding. Trent’s research interests are in the areas of consumer culture theory and macromarketing. He’s particularly interested in the sociology of branding and consumer identity projects. Before commencing his doctoral research, Trent worked in marketing communications and brand management roles for four years. He has worked in both Japan and Australia; his experience spanning public and private sector roles. Having been an Academic Tutor at the University of Melbourne, Victoria University and the Queensland University of Technology, Trent has extensive tutoring experience. His core teaching interests are in Brand Management, Consumer Behaviour and Qualitative Research. He has delivered guest lectures on brand strategy for the Victorian College of Arts and the Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne. A university medalist, Trent has a first class honours degree in Business (Marketing) from the Queensland University of Technology. In addition to his doctoral research, he is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Commercialisation for Research Students at Melbourne Business School.