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UCC Futures: Sustainability
Apply for one of the posts in the area of Sustainability across the environmental sciences, engineering, business and law and help us build our sustainable future.
Applications Open
These academic posts are a key part of the second phase of the UCC Futures recruitment programme. Building on UCC's existing significant expertise and capacity in the area of Sustainability, this programme of recruitment will drive a creative, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach to this area and provide transformative leadership that will further enhance UCC's outstanding research and research-informed teaching.
Explore the posts below for more information on the posts and who to contact for informal enquiries for each.
UCC is seeking a visionary leader with an excellent international profile as Associate Vice President of Sustainability which encompasses the strategic role of Director of the UCC Environmental Research Institute (ERI) and lead on UCC Futures - Sustainability. The Associate Vice President will also hold the title of Professor of Sustainability within the relevant discipline and College.
This new Associate Vice President of Sustainability post has created a unique opportunity for a candidate with appropriate academic and professional vision and leadership skills who would relish the challenge of leading UCC Futures – Sustainability and the world-leading Environmental Research Institute into the next phase of its development. The Associate Vice President of Sustainability will not only play a pivotal role in shaping the future success and strategy of the ERI, but will also lead UCC Futures – Sustainability in bringing all elements of research and other activities in the sustainability space together into one strategic University wide institute and influencing the public research and innovation environment of Ireland and Europe more broadly.
The successful candidate will be a highly regarded figure in the scientific community and will possess an excellent international track record and reputation in a research area aligned with one of the UCC Futures - Sustainability research platforms: environmental, sustainable energy, sustainable materials, sustainable agri-food and marine research. With a strong vision and exceptional leadership skills, the post-holder will have a natural ability to command respect and build rapport and trust with a rich network of individuals, diverse groups and strategic partners locally, nationally and internationally. The Associate Vice President of Sustainability will oversee the future strategic direction of sustainability research and management of the ERI, and its leadership team, lead fund-raising initiatives and large-scale research programmes to build on current significant capacity, and contribute to the promotion and representation of UCC’s profile and activities in the sustainability area in its broadest sense, within the University, and on a national and international basis.
They will have a strong international professional network in industry, business and academia and significant experience in building, managing and mentoring high-performing teams and proven capabilities in creative problem-solving are essential. The Associate Vice President of Sustainability reports to the Head of College of Science, Engineering and Food Science in relation to their day-to-day responsibility for the strategic, operational and financial management of the ERI and will have reporting lines to the Vice President for Research and Innovation in relation to research matters and to the President to advise on sustainability from a University perspective. As a full Professor the Associate Vice President of Sustainability will be aligned with the appropriate school and discipline relevant to their background.
As lead on UCC Futures - Sustainability the Associate Vice President of Sustainability will deliver on the University’s ambitious plans to consolidate its role as a leading university of sustainability. The Associate Vice President of Sustainability will oversee the strategic direction of research in sustainability in the University and the ERI activity and will input and oversee activity in other sustainability initiatives across the University such as Green Campus, Sustainable Futures programmes for enterprise and support the development of programmes in the sustainability area.
This post is now closed for applications.
Sustainable Business
Shaping Leaders for a Sustainable Future is at the heart of the strategic vision of Cork University Business School. Our vision emphasizes the importance of responsible business and management in leading organisations that will maximise the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. Through this era of unprecedented change, we increasingly expect our business and public leaders to shape a more equitable and sustainable world. The pursuit of profitability and productivity must be better balanced with the health and wellness of the individual, and the wider environmental and social impact of business decisions.
Cork University Business School (CUBS) is one of Ireland’s largest business schools with almost 4,000 students and over 180 staff. Double accredited by AMBA and AACSB and a member of PRME, CUBS is in the top 5% of business schools globally. The school is at an exciting stage of development including a plan to invest over €100m in a new business school campus in the heart of Cork city. As a research-intensive school, the ambition of CUBS is to focus on quality research and education, gain additional accreditations and internationalise further while continuing our drive to further embed sustainability and responsible leadership into our programmes and research activities.
To deliver on our ambitious vision of shaping leaders for a sustainable future, the University now wishes to engage in a major recruitment campaign to enhance the business school’s existing expertise and footprint in sustainability and responsible leadership by filling nine new academic roles across multiple levels and disciplines.
AIB Professor (Scale 2) in Sustainable Business
Professor (Scale 2) in Accounting for Sustainable Business
Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Business
AIB Lecturer in Responsible Leadership
Lecturer in Sustainable Development
Lecturer in Sustainable Food Production Systems
Lecturer in Accounting for Sustainable Corporations
Lecturer in Economics in Sustainable Business
Lecturer in Information Systems for Sustainable and Responsible Business
These posts are now closed for applications.
Sustainability and the Environment
We are inviting applications from individuals within science and engineering disciplines who have demonstrated research excellence across a range of subjects.
For more information on the posts and how to apply
A full job description for all roles, contacts for informal enquires and to submit an application visit the University College Cork vacancy portal (and select 'UCC Futures' from the vacancy type).
Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to uccfuturesrecruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job-title.
Professor (Scale 2) in Company Law
The School of Law at UCC is a research intensive law school, committed to shaping a just society. Ranked 75th globally and 1st in Ireland (QS Subject Rankings 2022) the School is proud of its research intensive environment, with a number of undergraduate law degrees and specialist graduate programmes including LLMs in Business Law, International Human Rights and Public Policy, and Environment and Natural Resources Law and a thriving PhD programme. The School has played a leading role in the global sustainability agenda particularly through the research and public engagement of the Centre for Environmental Law, which is affiliated to the Environmental Research Institute.
The school wishes to appoint a Professor in Company Law. With demonstrated research leadership, a significant track record of research funding and output and excellence in teaching in Company Law, the ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to advancing the relationship between Company Law and sustainability, particularly through the implementation of the SDGs and broader themes of corporate social responsibility and internationally recognised environmental, social and governance standards. They will have an international profile in Company Law that strengthens the School of Law’s global reputation and enhance its international standing including by maximising the opportunities presented by UCC Futures - Sustainability.
This post is now closed for applications.
What is UCC Futures - Sustainability?
The greatest global challenge of our time is finding sustainable solutions for the world’s growing population, balancing the need for economic development with our limited natural resources. Achieving a balance between people, profit and planet requires us to find equitable and just solutions to the problems of climate change, hunger, poverty and social and health disparities among the world’s populations. The complexity of the global sustainability challenge requires experts from multiple disciplines and sectors to collaborate in new and reimagined ways.
UCC believes that to solve these sustainability challenges, we need creative, inter-disciplinary solutions, driven by an innovative and holistic approach. Through our existing programme of transdisciplinary research, we are generating new knowledge, developing technologies and tools and contributing to services and policies that facilitate a just transition that is economically prosperous and socially inclusive, while protecting our natural environment.
We invite you to join us on the next phase of this important and impactful journey of discovery with UCC Futures - Sustainability.
UCC is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading green University (8th in the Times Higher Education Impact ranking contribution to the SDGs). UCC is ranked 9th globally in the UI Green Metric World University Ranking of sustainable universities and was the first higher education institution in the world to achieve ISO 50001 certification for energy management. In 2018, UCC was the first university outside of North America to be awarded a Gold Star from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. UCC is the only Irish university with official observer membership of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Sustainability is embedded across UCC through its extensive transdisciplinary research and its research informed programmes. The University, as a community, has extensive activity in this area via its student-led green campus initiatives and with our external stakeholders. UCC Futures - Sustainability will bring a single approach and strategic direction to all of these complementary activities, deepening inter-disciplinarity and strengthening connections between research and the curriculum.
The University has invested significantly in sustainability and environmental research over the last two decades including the establishment of the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in 2000. The AACSB accredited Cork University Business School, established in 2015, has a mission ‘to shape leaders for a sustainable future’ and the investment in inter-disciplinary research will see advances in sustainable business across all disciplines. UCC’s QS 100 Ranked Law School has a track record of research excellence and engagement in its ERI-affiliated Centre for Law and the Environment, and in wider areas of corporate and social governance.
The University’s significant research capacity in sustainability informs programmes throughout STEM, Business, Law, Social Sciences, Humanities, Medicine and Health. The Sustainable Futures initiative is developing a suite of educational and training courses to empower businesses to not only meet legal requirements in transitioning to a low-carbon future, but to develop new opportunities for Irish business. The University plans to build on its capacity to develop CPD offerings in this area in the coming years.
About UCC Futures
UCC Futures is an ambitious new programme of research prioritisation coupled with an innovative academic recruitment strategy across ten indicative areas of strategic importance that will build a foundation for economic, societal and cultural resilience and prosperity.
Our Vision
University College Cork (UCC) is committed to continually strengthening its research and academic excellence. UCC Futures enables a dynamic enhancement of research, support of innovation and translation of research to tangible solutions to address emerging societal needs and global grand challenges, to secure a better future for all.
UCC Futures is one of a number of measures that will support our society to thrive and to secure a sustainable future for all.
UCC is a vibrant community of diverse and independent thought leaders with the shared ambition of a Connected University with research at its heart. Enabling the development of novel interdisciplinary research is a core objective of our institutional strategy ‘UCC 2022: Delivering a Connected University’. UCC Futuresexemplifies this objective as we seek transformative, disruptive Research Leaders to connect research across disciplinary boundaries, creating knowledge and translating research into sustainable benefits and value for society. Transformative research will inform our curriculum, supporting the education of global citizens with the skills, knowledge and abilities to address key challenges facing society. In establishing UCC Futures, we will foster the collaboration and partnership that enables our researchers to respond with agility to evolving circumstance and opportunity. UCC Futures is one of a number of measures that will support our society to thrive and to secure a sustainable future for all.
Professor John F. Cryan
"UCC’s will lead and continue to create a research environment that is able to respond with agility to global societal challenges. Indeed, our world-class Research Centres and flagship Tyndall National Institute have been magnets for researchers to come to Cork and their impact shows the value of bringing together disciplines on a scale for the benefit of our society. UCC Futures will build on this success to accelerate research, connecting disciplines to generate an environment of creativity, curiosity and critical thinking that enables a more just and inclusive future. The facilitation of innovative interdisciplinary synergies will inspire, engage and enable our researchers to create the future. UCC welcomes researchers who think radically, are inclusive and connect diversity of thought for maximum, sustainable, economic, societal and cultural resilience and prosperity. UCC Futures will provide the positive and transformative environment to secure our collective futures through excellence in research and innovation."
