Dr. Edmund Adam

Associate Professor 

Academic Biography

Dr. Edmund Adam is a comparative and international higher education scholar whose work focuses on the strategic planning, development, and reform of higher education institutions and higher education systems. His research lies at the intersection of higher education studies, organizational sociology, and the political economy of development. This interdisciplinary approach to inquiry reflects his conviction that, in our Global Age, understanding the profound changes affecting social life increasingly requires an examination of the growing forms of complexity. The big challenges facing the world today (e.g., climate change, pandemics, eroding trust in institutions, poverty, forced migration, corruption, and sustainable development) are all multidimensional and transnational in nature. Addressing these challenges effectively necessitates building robust science-for-policy ecosystems where research cuts across and reaches beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. Dr. Adam's research is aimed at helping higher education leaders, policymakers, and the public to make evidence-informed decisions. 

Academic Qualifications

• Ph.D. University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in in Education, Toronto, Canada Higher Education with a specialisation in Comparative, International and Development Education 
• M.Ed. University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in in Education, Toronto, Canada  Higher Education 

Selected Publications  

• Adam, E., & Adam, N. (2024). Education hubs in Qatar and The United Arab Emirates: Analysis of discursive construction using Latent Dirichlet Allocation. International Journal of Educational Development, 107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103034 

• Adam, E., & Adam, N. (2024). Catalyzing Regional Influence: The United Arab Emirates’ and Qatar’s Bids for Educational Leadership in the MENA Region through International Education Hubs. International Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.6017/895b9e0d.12b03628 

• Adam, E. (2024). Power paradigm unleashed: The (re)configuration of international higher education arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and what it means for higher education. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 16(3), 70-81. https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v16i3.6150 

• Adam, E. (2024). A reappraisal of global university rankings’ influence in Canada: A senior university leaders’ perspective. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 48(1), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2253430 

• Adam, E. (2024). Mastering Fortuna: Higher education as an international relations strategy for diplomacy, development and sustainability. Higher Education, 87, 509-513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01020-0 

• Adam, E. (2023). Reviving the sociology of organizations in higher education: The case of how global university rankings influence the strategic management of Canadian universities. International Review of Sociology. DOI: 10.1080/03906701.2022.2156436 

• Adam, E. (2020). The tale of two pandemics: What the history of pandemics can tell university leaders about the aftermath of COVID-19. University Affairs (April 29). 

• Adam, E. (2020). Why the Gulf monarchies have survived. The Conversation (September 1). https://theconversation.com/why-the-gulf-monarchies-have-survived-144411 

Honors and Awards 

• 2025: Fellowship Advance HE  

• 2023: Fellowship of The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, held at The Faculty of Education, York University  

• 2021: Research Grant from Ontario Council on Credit Articulation and Transfer  

• 2021: IREG Best PhD Thesis on Academic Ranking 2021 – IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence  

• 2019: SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship  

• 2019: Scholarship, Science Diplomacy and Innovation Diplomacy, Innovation and Science Diplomacy School, University of São Paulo 

• 2019: Ontario Graduate Scholarship 

Research Areas

• Comparative, international and development education 
• Academic international education  
• Educational policy and system reform  
• Political economy of development  
• Strategic management and leadership
• Global university rankings  
• Finance of higher education 

Courses Taught

Current:

• Strategic Development Planning

• Research Design and Initiation

• The Reflective Professional

Upcoming:

• Leadership for Learning
• Building Teams, Managing Resources
• Research Design and Initiation