Canada Research Chair Tier I in Sustainability Reporting

Job title: Canada Research Chair Tier I in Sustainability Reporting
Position code: 23_C_ACCO_M
Date posted: September 30, 2024
Application deadline: January 8, 2025
Advertised until: Position is filled

Position description:

The Department of Accountancy at the John Molson School of Business invites applications for a Tier I Canada Research Chair (CRC) position in Sustainability Reporting at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The granting of tenure on appointment will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the CUFA collective agreement. Researchers in all areas of accounting and sustainability are welcome to apply. This includes, but is not limited to thematic areas, such as questions of sustainability and accountability, measurement, control, performance, disclosure, or assurance. 

The selected candidate will join a collaborative research environment, encompassing a well-institutionalized Concordia Accounting Research Seminar Series, PhD-Faculty Research Festivals, and food-for-thought working paper presentations. The Tier I CRC in Sustainability Reporting will drive the development of multi-disciplinary collaborative research in sustainability and accounting. In particular, the expectation is to foster research collaboration across Departments and Faculties, secure significant external funding, and strengthen the School’s research-based graduate programs in the advertised disciplinary area. In doing so, the selected candidate will benefit from John Molson’s and Concordia’s existing capacity in sustainability research, which includes multiple donor- and university-funded professorships, research centres, and institutional initiatives. They will further leverage and partake in these and other multi-disciplinary initiatives, such as the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre and the Sustainability Hub. The department sees a unique opportunity to engage actively in policy discussions and standard-setting conversations, following the recent opening of an ISSB office in Montreal. 

Qualifications and assets 

The candidate for the position must have a PhD, a strong academic research program, and evidence of teaching effectiveness. They should also have experience with multi-disciplinary research in sustainability reporting, broadly defined, and a recognized research record in that area. The candidate should further have demonstrated potential to drive the development of programs and structural change, preferably across disciplinary boundaries. Organizational skills, honed within or outside the academy, are necessary—as is the ability to collaborate.  

The ability to establish partnerships with external actors and to lead multidisciplinary research projects are strong assets. Candidates may wish to highlight their capacity to attract graduate students and participate in curricular development.

Candidates eligible for Tier I chair positions must be outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. Nominees for Tier I Chair positions must be full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria.

Candidates are encouraged to share any career interruptions or personal circumstances that may have had an impact on their career goals (such as the decision to have a family, eldercare, illness, and so forth) in their letter of application. These will be carefully considered in the assessment process. The Department values diversity among its faculty and strongly encourages applications from those who will contribute to that profile. Concordia University is an English-language institution of higher learning at which the primary language of instruction and research is English. Since this position supports academic functions of the university, proficiency in English is required. Working knowledge of French, including reading and grading student work in French, is an asset.       

How to Apply 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. While applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship, all applicants must include one of the following statements: 

Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

or 

No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada

Applications should consist of:

• a cover letter clearly identifying the title and position code: 23_C_ACCO_M;

• a detailed lifetime curriculum vitae;

• contact information of three referees;

• a statement of research, including the planned research programme for the advertised Tier I CRC;

• a statement of teaching;

• three most important research contributions to date or three representative publications;

• recent teaching evaluations or other evidence of teaching effectiveness.

Applications must be submitted electronically to: Matthäus Tekathen, Chair, Department of Accountancy, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University at accohiring.jmsb@concordia.ca.  

Electronic applications should be submitted by January 8, 2025 but will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The appointment is expected to commence in August 2025. 

Concordia University is strongly committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, and recognizes the importance of inclusion in achieving excellence in teaching and research. As part of this commitment to providing our students with the dynamic, innovative, and inclusive educational environment of a Next‐Generation University, we require all applicants to articulate in their cover letter how their background, as well as lived and professional experiences and expertise have prepared them to teach in ways that are relevant for a diverse, multicultural contemporary Canadian society. 

Possible examples to demonstrate a diverse experience may include, but are not limited to: 

• teaching about underrepresented populations 

• mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds 

• community work 

• offering or organizing educational programming 

• participation in training and workshops 

All applicants will receive an email invitation to complete a short equity survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifying information about candidates will be shared with hiring committees. Candidates who wish to self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group to the hiring committee may do so in their cover letter or by writing directly to the contact person indicated in this posting.