�պ�����

This spring, the Grossman School of Business invited two visiting faculty members to exchange ideas and collaborate on new projects through its Research Seminar Series. On March 29, Dr. Caroline Flammer, the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Columbia University with joint appointments at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the Climate School, and a secondary appointment at Columbia Business School, joined the research series to discuss her work on "Exploring Biodiversity in Finance." Additionally, in April, Professor Michael Lounsbury, A.F. (Chip) Collins Chair at the University of Alberta School of Business, participated in the series, presenting his research on "Wasted? The Rise and Fall of Recycling Coordinators." 

These visiting faculty members connected with University of Vermont faculty and graduate students who are exploring an evolving global landscape and exchange ideas regarding the latest research and development within the academic community. Attendees were able to engage with visiting researchers and discuss innovative research in their fields. 

Discussing Emerging Trends 

Dr. Flammer presented her early-stage research on the emergence of private financing vehicles intended to protect biodiversity. While the increasing rate of private and blended public-private financing for preservation and restoration is promising, very little is known about the extent to which these privately funded projects achieve their biodiversity goals and their expected financial returns. Students and faculty enjoyed learning about this fascinating topic and explored future directions for research in the area. 

Professor Lounsbury presented new research that followed his prior work exploring the emergence of university recycling coordinators as a new organizational discipline beginning a few decades ago. His talk highlighted how the discipline assimilated into facilities management over time, with its environmental activist roots being supplanted by university sustainability initiatives. The discussion was illuminating and enhanced attendees' understanding of institutional pressures that drive organizational and disciplinary transitions. 

About Professor Caroline Flammer 

Caroline Flammer is the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Columbia University with joint appointments at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the Climate School, and a secondary appointment at Columbia Business School. She is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and a Research Member at the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI).  

Caroline is an expert in sustainable investing and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. Her research examines whether and how sustainable finance and impact investing can help finance a more sustainable world. Moreover, her research  “Exploring Biodiversity in Finance” examines how, and under which conditions, firms can incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their activities to enhance their competitiveness while strengthening—instead of undermining—the very system in which they operate and hereby play a critical role in addressing climate change, inequality, global health, and other grand challenges related to society and the natural environment.  

About Professor Michael Lounsbury  

Michael Lounsbury, the A.F. (Chip) Collins Chair and Chair of the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Management Department at the University of Alberta School of Business, also serves as the Academic Director of the eHUB entrepreneurship centre. Additionally, he holds a part-time professorship in Business Strategy & Entrepreneurship at the Australian National University College of Business and Economics. Professor Lounsbury, with a Ph.D. in Sociology and Organizational Behavior from Northwestern University, is actively involved in editorial roles, including as the series editor of Research in the Sociology of Organizations. His research, titled "Wasted? The Rise and Fall of Recycling Coordinators," focuses on the evolution of university sustainability initiatives, particularly the trajectory of university recycling coordinators and their impact on subsequent sustainability programs and management roles within academia.  

Tracking how these coordinators engaged in various practices that laid a foundation for the creation of new university sustainability managers and programs a decade or two later but ultimately failed to capitalize on these new opportunities. As the recycling coordinator occupation has largely disappeared over the past two decades. His contributions shed light on contemporary efforts to understand the relationship between social movements and organizations, revealing the often overlooked and routine nature of insider activist-workers, as well as the literature on occupations, organizations, and institutional change. 

Upcoming Research Seminar Series Events

Graduate students and faculty were able to engage with these visiting professors and connect over their innovative research. Upcoming Research Seminar Series events will be held in the fall 2024 school year, including Robert Klassen, Professor, Operations Management & Sustainability and Magna International Inc. Chair in Business Administration, Western University Ivey Business School on September 27, 2024. Learn more about the Research Seminar Series.

Photos by Josh Wallace.