Wednesday Research Seminar Series - Mapping the SDGs at MDX (2018-2020)

We are pleased to invite you to our Wednesday Research Seminar. It will be held online on 3 March from 4pm via Microsoft team platform. Wednesday Research Seminar Series was launched in 2008 and has featured more than 290 presentations to date. The seminars provide a forum for researchers to share their work. Presenters include faculty from Middlesex University Dubai and other universities in the United Arab Emirates, as well as researchers from other global institutions. Rory, Andrew Mackenzie, and Mahine will deliver seminar on:         

“Mapping the SDGs at MDX (2018-2020)”  

Rory McConnon, Andrew Mackenzie, and Mahine Rizvi

Abstract      

As a signatory of the UNGC, Middlesex University Dubai shows its commitment to creating a just and prosperous world by being the first university in the UAE to report campus-wide activities based on sustainability principles. As member of the UNGC, in March 2020, the ISD presented the 2nd Communication on Engagement (COE) Report submitted to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) showing how Middlesex University Dubai embeds the Sustainable Development Goals and principles into teaching and learning, operations, curricula, research and student experience. This seminar will highlight the key initiatives that MDX has in place to promote sustainability in terms of education, engagement with students and building of relationships with the public and private sector. It also sheds light on the role of our community, including staff and students, in the implementation of the SDGs within the University in terms of academia and research, as well as practical steps to meet the Goals. The focus of this report is also on equality, inclusion and wellness in line with SDG4, as well as the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biographies 

Rory McConnon is Campus Programme Coordinator for Middlesex University Dubai’s Business Management Programmes. A graduate in Environmental Resources Management from Technological University Dublin, Rory also completed his MSc. Renewable Energy and MSc. Energy Management at the University of Ulster before obtaining an MBA at Middlesex University Dubai.  He has several years’ experience in the sustainable energy and environmental sector, working for both private and public organisations.  Rory has devised and delivered many programmes of study on business, environmental engineering, and sustainable energy.  His involvement with ISD is to promote research and training in sustainability and environmental management.

Andrew Mackenzie is a senior lecturer specialising in Marketing and Innovation at Middlesex University Dubai with over 20 years’ experience in education and training. As head of ISD, his role focuses on environmental management and sustainability. The ISD’s mission is to enhance Middlesex University of Dubai’s contribution to internal, local and global sustainability practices. Currently Andrew’s research interest is in the field of sustainability and he is driving ISD programmes that address society, equality, economy and the environment. He is driving environmental and sustainable initiatives, including visiting schools and colleges to discuss sustainability in the UAE, and building sustainable case studies and practical applications into curriculum. This in turn will lead to exciting studies in understanding the effect of marketing and education on behaviour patterns in sustainable practices in the UAE.

Mahine Rizvi Ahmad is a senior lecturer in International Relations in the School of Law at MDX with 10 years of teaching experience as well as work experience in both the corporate and development sector. She is also the university coordinator for the UNGC. Mahine holds an MSc in Gender and Development from the London School of Economics (UK), a BSc Honours in International Relations and Development Studies from the University of Sussex, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Mahine’s learning and teaching interests include Migration and Citizenship, Global Security, Global Governance and Sustainable Development, Migration Policy and Approaches, and Campaigns and Social Change. Her research interests cover Gender and Development, Third World Feminism, Global Governance and Sustainable Development.