Professor/Associate Professor in Sustainable Innovation

We are seeking to appoint a Professor/Associate Professor in Sustainable Innovation. The successful candidate will join the Panmure House initiative, working alongside the newly appointed Adam Smith Chair and an interdisciplinary team of researchers/academics.  The objective of the Panmure House initiative is to advance research on sustainable capitalism, defined as the ethical use of capital to fund innovation for the common good and advancement of humanity, through, but not limited to, the practise of sustainable long-term financing.

The successful candidate will bring research expertise on sustainable innovation, focused on companies and regional, national, and global innovation systems. A deep understanding of the ways in which geopolitics and geoeconomics shape and constrain sustainable innovation is essential. The successful candidate will have a demonstrable track record in developing and managing postgraduate programmes, and will provide strategic leadership in the development of a new postgraduate course on sustainable capitalism, as well as an executive-level sustainability leadership programme. This position offers significant strategic development opportunities in relation to knowledge exchange, executive education and industry-focused research. 

Background

Heriot-Watt University has an established reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry. 

Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort. Edinburgh Business School, part of the School of Social Sciences, one of five academic schools at Heriot-Watt University, has a strong presence in the University’s international campuses in Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia.

Panmure House is the final remaining home of Adam Smith, philosopher and ‘father of modern economics’. In 2008, Edinburgh Business School & Heriot-Watt University undertook to rescue this historic building from dereliction. Following a 10-year, £5.6m renovation, Panmure was formally opened in November 2018. Originally built in 1691, Smith occupied the House between 1778 and 1790, during which time he completed the final editions of his master works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Other great luminaries and thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment visited Smith regularly at the House across this period.

The Panmure House project has developed rapidly since the inception of its public engagement programming in 2019. Its potential as an intellectual enterprise, while of course linked to the House’s identity as a bricks and mortar venue, now transcends that physical limitation. The Panmure House Initiative is central to the ongoing development of Edinburgh Business School as a locus for robust debate about the future economic order and the nature of business in the 21st century which engages leaders globally. From its early foundation, Edinburgh Business School has been a pioneer. Our distance-learning-based Executive MBA led the way in creating accessible executive education which transformed lives and organisations worldwide. The thousands of MBA alumni across the globe manifest that pioneering ethos, and, along with our campuses in Dubai and Malaysia, give the School the capacity to reach and influence practice globally. In partnering with Baillie Gifford to develop Adam Smith’s final home, Panmure House, as a distinctive forum to cultivate cutting edge thinking that shapes policy and practice, Edinburgh Business School is continuing with that pioneering tradition.

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Research and Scholarship

• Contribute to the advancement of the Panmure House research agenda, working on discrete research lines in sustainable innovation while contributing expertise to collaborative projects with the team.
• Lead and co-ordinate research and scholarship activities in the subject across EBS and the wider University.
• Lead collaborative partnerships with other educational institutions or other bodies.
• Lead collaborative bids for scholarship, consultancy and other additional funds, including partnerships with other Schools or institutions.
• Make presentations or exhibitions at international conferences and other similar events, demonstrating evidence of esteem within the subject (e.g., through personal invitations to speak or present).
• Demonstrate leadership potential in scholarship, knowledge exchange and consultancy.
• Contribute to the development of the Panmure House Index of Sustainable Capitalism.

Learning and Teaching

• Provide leadership in the planning, organisation and development of learning and teaching activities in the subject area.
• Participate in the design, development and delivery of a new postgraduate course and executive leadership programme on sustainable capitalism.
• Review on a regular basis programme and course content and materials, updating when required.
• Lead the development and application of innovative and appropriate teaching techniques and material, which create interest, understanding and enthusiasm amongst students.
• Ensure that course design and delivery comply with the quality standards and regulations of the University and School/Institute.

Collaboration and Networking

• Chair and participate on internal committees and participate in EBS and University decision making and governance.
• Take a leading role in senior external groups, (e.g., committees in learned societies or professional institutions, editorial boards, organising committees of international conferences, research council panels or government advisory groups).
• Lead and develop internal and external networks to foster collaboration and share information and ideas and to promote the subject and the University.
• Promote and market the work of the University, EBS and Panmure House in the subject area both nationally and internationally.
• Provide advice to external bodies.

Please note this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.  

Education, Qualifications and Experience

To be considered for the role you will be established (a requirement to be considered at Associate Professor level) or have the potential to become established as an international research leader, with strong postdoctoral research experience and the ambition to build a world-class academic group.

Essential Criteria

• A PhD in a relevant field.
• Possess sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge to provide leadership learning, research, portfolio development and industry engagement.
• Proven track record in engaged research and scholarship
• Clear commitment to interdisciplinarity and cross-disciplinary engagement
• Demonstrable capability in engaging and enthusing students at all levels – undergraduate, postgraduate and post-experience
• Proven track-record of working in Higher Education 

Interested applicants must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system: (1) a cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) a full CV; (3) A summary of their scholarship and teaching plans and ambitions; and (4) a list of publications. 

If you any difficulties applying or have any questions please contact Yvonne Constantino, y.constantino@hw.ac.uk. 

For more information about the role and to apply, please visit; enzj.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/job/2761/?utm_medium=jobshare