When: October 25-30, 2012

The PhD Sustainability Academy is an annual event of the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) hosted by The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario (Ivey).

This year's theme is Theories and Paradigms for Sustainability, which will explore, engage and encourage: the emergence, growth and diffusion of theories for researching and teaching sustainability; past, present and future paradigms for sustainability work in academe and practice; and ways to multi-dimensionalize our thinking and action for a more sustainable world. We will rethink sustainability using multiple lenses, push our understanding on systemic/intractable problems we collectively face, and enrich our theoretical and empirical analyses of individual, organizational, societal and eco-system life.

Oana Branzei is the Ivey faculty host and organizer. Five prestigious guest faculty will join the event:

Tima Bansal, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario

Bobby Banerjee, School of Business, University of Western Sydney

Joshua Margolis, Harvard Business School, Harvard University

Andy Spicer, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

Madhu Viswanathan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Two ARCS founders will co-host the launch of the fifth PhD Sustainability Academy on October 25, 2012:

Marian Chertow, Associate Professor of Industrial Environmental Management, Director of the Program on Solid Waste Policy, and Director of the Industrial Environmental Management Program, and

Mike Toffel, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Marvin Bower Fellow at Harvard Business School.

The deadline for submissions is August 30, 2012. Please email your full submission to Oana Branzei.

All submissions will be evaluated through a double-blind review process. Applications need to include a separate cover-page with author details, a two-page abstract (up to 1000 words, single-space 12 point font Times New Roman) and a full manuscript submission (following the AMJ style guide for empirical studies and the AMR style guide for theoretical papers). Because participants are invited based on the relevance, timeliness and quality of the proposed research, the two-page abstract needs to include sufficient details to help the selection committee compare submissions based on their potential contribution.

The Network for Business Sustainability sponsors a Best Paper Award and a $500 cash prize. Meet the Best Paper Award winners from the past ARCS Sustainability Academy here.

PhD Sustainability Academies are enjoyable, intense learning journeys with a like-minded community:

"In all truthfulness, it is the most intense and honest feedback I have ever had - bar none. Moreover, the Sustainability Academy was the best academic and personal development week of my life!" Stephanie Berger, PhD in Management, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University

"The experiences of that week truly impacted me at a personal level, and gave me new perspectives of what it means to be a scholar […]I now see new potential in what I can contribute to the world through my career, and met amazing people who share my passions." Jason D'Mello, PhD in Entrepreneurship, University of Louisville

"The Sustainability Academy has been a real game-changer for me. It was the most intense, high-quality experience that I've had to date in my doctoral career." Barbara Zepp Larson, PhD Candidate, Management, Harvard Business School, Harvard University

"At this academy I found role models, obtained diverse perspectives on my work, and most importantly, found a community that I feel I 'belong' to!" Lite J. Nartey, PhD in Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania