Grigorios is a Reader (Associate Professor) in accounting and a member of the Accounting and Auditing Research Group at Brunel Business School since 2012. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Certified Management & Business Educator by the Chartered Association of Business Schools, and has been a member of a number of leading national and international organisations promoting research and scholarship in the field. Examples of these include the European Accounting Association, the British Accounting and Finance Association, and the Voluntary Sector Studies Network. In addition to his exposure in diverse educational systems, through studying in three different countries, UK, Finland, and Greece, Grigorios has broad working experience in accounting, commercial auditing, and management within a range of organisational and cultural settings. During his service as an educator Grigorios has held a number of senior leadership roles including that of the the school’s Director of Student Academic Misconduct, Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. He is currently serving as the Division Lead of the school's Business Accounting Division. As part of his active engagement in upholding and advancing higher education standards across the sector, Grigorios has served as External Examiner in a number of universities with his most recent appointments being with Cranfield University and the University of Hertfordshire. Having a keen interest in advancing pedagogy practice via research, he has published and presented his work in a number of subject specific and generalist conferences and fora. Grigorios has developed a strong background in accounting for business models research, through relevant publications in highly regarded journals and through the dissemination of his work in a number of leading national and international conferences. His research interests also include work on the role of disruptive technologies in accounting and finance, the links between entrepreneurship and education, sustainability, and forensic accounting. His teaching interests include: creative accounting and forensic accounting, contemporary issues in accounting research, business financial technology, financial reporting and analysis, introductory and not-for-specialists accounting. MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS 2010 – present: Member of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) 2010 – present: Fellow to Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 2014 – present: Member of the European Accounting Association (EAA) 2014 – present: Member of the BAFA Public Services and Charities Special Interest Group 2019 – present: Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE) by the Chartered Association of Business Schools LEADERSHIP POSITIONS Dec 2022 – present: Division Lead - Business Accounting, Brunel Business School Sep 2021 – Nov 2022: Director of Student Academic Misconduct, Brunel Business School Jun 2019 – present: Recognised Programme Developer, Brunel University - London Sep 2017 – Aug 2019: Director of Teaching and Learning, Brunel Business School Jun 2016 – Aug 2017: Director of Undergraduate Studies, Brunel Business School Jun 2014 – Jun 2016: Academic Appeals Officer, Brunel Business School Academic Year 2011/2: Level 5, Year Tutor (Deputy Programme Leader) for BSc Accounting/Accounting and Finance, Hertfordshire Business School EXTERNAL EXAMINER APPOINTMENTS Jan 2019 – present: External Examiner in MSc in Retail and Digital Banking, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL Sep 2018 – Jan 2024: External Examiner in MSc Finance and investment Banking, University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire Business School, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB May 2020 – Jun 2020: External subject specialist to the Board of Study/Course Development Group for BA International Finance and Accounting, Coventry University London, University House, 109 -117 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7JF May 2015 – Jul 2019: External examiner in Management Information Systems UG programme, University of Greenwich, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts, Cairo, Egypt Mar 2014 – Jun 2018: External examiner in Management – Finance – Accounting, MA/MA top-up/PgDip, Kingston University, Penrhyn Rd, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE AWARDS, PRIZES, AND NOMINATIONS 2022: “Exemplary teaching in Brunel Business School award” based on student evaluations, Brunel Business School 2022: Nominated for the award category: “Calm in the Eye of the Storm: A colleague who is resilient when things are hectic”, College of Business Arts and Social Sciences, Brunel University - London 2019: “Best Module (Large)” University Prize, Brunel University - London 2018: “Most Innovative Form of Assessment” University Prize, Brunel University - London 2018: “Best Poster” award at the Learning, Teaching, and Student Experience conference organised by the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS)
JUST-CIRCLE is a European Commission-funded Horizon Europe Innovation Action project
This is led at Brunel Business School, Brunel University of London by Dr Grigorios Theodosopoulos. The project examines how circular business models can be designed, measured and advanced in ways that support a fair and sustainable transition.
This PhD studentship will focus on the accounting, accountability, stakeholder and social-value dimensions of circular business models. Circular economy policies and business models are often presented as environmentally beneficial, but their wider social, economic and accountability implications are harder to measure, evidence and validate. This creates important research questions around how circular business models can be assessed, how sustainability claims can be made credible, and how businesses, policymakers and stakeholders can use evidence to support a just circular transition.
The PhD will be aligned with the JUST-CIRCLE research programme and will contribute particularly to work on circular business model design, social innovation and stakeholder engagement, sustainability accounting and circularity assessment, pilot validation, and dissemination to policy and practice audiences. The successful candidate will develop academically rigorous and practically useful approaches for assessing circular business models and their contribution to sustainability, accountability and social value.
The project may address questions such as:
- How can circular business models be designed and assessed in ways that support a fair and sustainable transition?
- What forms of sustainability accounting, accountability and evidence are needed to validate circular business models?
- How do SMEs, consumers, communities and other stakeholders understand, trust and respond to circular business model claims?
- How can circular economy evidence be translated into useful guidance for businesses, policymakers and project partners?
The final focus of the PhD will be refined with the supervisory team and aligned with the JUST-CIRCLE work packages, pilot activities and project deliverables.
The project is suitable for candidates interested in sustainability accounting, circular economy, circular business models, ESG and sustainability reporting, social value, stakeholder engagement, sustainable innovation, accountability, or sustainable transition policy. The PhD is expected to use an interdisciplinary research design, potentially combining quantitative analysis with qualitative case study research, interviews, stakeholder engagement, documentary analysis, circular business model mapping, sustainability accounting and accountability analysis, and social-value or impact assessment. The successful candidate may contribution to project workshops, pilot activities and dissemination outputs as part of the wider JUST-CIRCLE consortium
Eligibility
Applicants should normally have a first or upper-second class honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline.
A master's degree in Accounting, Management, Sustainability, Business, Innovation, Circular Economy, Environmental Policy, Social Sciences or a related area would be an advantage.
Applicants with a lower-second class honours degree (2:1 ) may be considered where they also hold a relevant master's degree or can demonstrate equivalent relevant experience, subject to University admissions requirements. Previous experience of independent research, for example through an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation, research project or thesis in a relevant area, would be desirable.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate an interest in one or more of the following areas: sustainability accounting and accountability; circular economy and circular business models; ESG or sustainability reporting; stakeholder engagement and social value; sustainable innovation and transition studies; quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods or case study research; and policy, business or impact-focused research.
Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, as the project will involve academic writing, engagement with project partners, and the Isolation of findings for non-academic audiences.
How to apply
Applicants should submit the following
- An up-to-date CV;
- A personal statement of 300 to 500 words explaining their background, skills, experience and interest in the studentship;
- A research proposal or statement of research interests of up to 1,200 words, linked to the project theme and including indicative research questions, proposed methods and relevant references;
- Undergraduate and postgraduate degree certificates and transcripts;
- Evidence of English language qualification, if applicable;•
- Contact details for two referees, one of whom may be a member of Brunel University of London academic staff.
Formal application enquiries should may be submitted directly as a single PDF by 12 noon on 28 August 2026 to studentships@brunel.ac.uk and grigorios.theodosopoulos@brunel.ac.uk