Our Research Chairs
Chairholders advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields—through their own work as well as teaching and supervising students and coordinating the work of other researchers.
As leaders, Research Chairs play a critical role in building on the faculty’s strengths and enhancing areas of strategic importance while fostering connections between the Faculty and the broader community.
Our Canada Research Chair
Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Governance (Tier 2) — Sherry Pictou
Dr. Sherry Pictou's research program seeks to address concerns about the limited participation of Indigenous women in governance and decision-making processes, focusing on natural resources, as evidenced by Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019). In collaboration with Indigenous women, Dr. Pictou’s research generates a gender-based analysis from an Indigenous perspective that will inform Indigenous and non-Indigenous governance practices. The research builds on a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant with KAIROS, a Canadian ecumenical organization for social environmental justice. The study is titled “Building Indigenous–academic–not-for-profit relations for mobilizing research knowledge on the gendered impacts of resource extraction in Indigenous communities in Canada”. This project is in its final phase, which involves a digital storytelling project to be hosted on the Mother Earth and Resource Extraction Hub and a final report about a gathering of Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq Grandmothers and Land Defenders and their shared experiences, challenges, successes and strategies for building capacity toward transforming legislation and polices to take into account the impacts of resource extraction on gender.
Find out more about Dr. Pictou
Our Named Chairs
The Douglas C. Mackay Chair in Finance — Greg Hebb
The Chair was founded in 1998 to support teaching and research in finance. Douglas Mackay (BComm ’53) (1930–2003) was a leader in the Canadian business community and a longstanding supporter of our Faculty. His generous gifts to the Chair—current value about $6 million—have provided financial support for more than 100 students in the form of scholarships and awards and set the Faculty on an international trajectory. He graciously shared his network of professional contacts, aided our graduates in obtaining employment, and invited world-renowned academic researchers and business leaders to speak on campus. On a personal level, Douglas Mackay was known for his warmth, loyalty and generosity.
The Chair holder, Dr. Greg Hebb, has been at HÂţ» University since 2002 and has broad research interests that include financial institutions, socially responsible investments, and sustainable finance. He has published in various peer-reviewed finance and economics journals and is a regular reviewer for many of them. Dr. Hebb has helped organize numerous professional meetings and conferences and served on their executive boards. He is an award-winning instructor who has also taught in the United States and Austria.
F. C. Manning Chair in Economics and Business – Sergio Carvalho
The Chair was established in 1960 by Sheldon and Marjorie Fountain in memory of Marjorie’s father, Fred C. Manning. From humble beginnings, Fred C. Manning created one of the largest and farthest-ranging business empires to come out of the Maritimes. United Service Corporation owned service stations, automobile agencies, bus and trucking companies, and suppliers of gasoline, oil, radio, wholesale automotive and electrical products. Fred C. Manning was the first person in Canada to have his legacy honoured with the naming of a business school (Acadia’s Manning School of Business Administration). He was known for being hard working, warm and incredibly charitable.
The Chair holder is Dr. Sergio Carvalho, who researches consumer behaviour and international marketing. His research portfolio has included how consumers’ national identity or cultural values influence brand preferences; how social categorization influences consumers’ pro-social behaviour; and how consumers respond to corporate social responsibility initiatives. His work appears in many top business journals, including FT 50 journals such as Journal of Marketing and Journal of Business Ethics and has been presented at major national and international conferences. His research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada. Dr. Carvalho serves on the editorial boards of Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences and Journal of Marketing Thought and is an ad hoc reviewer for numerous well-known journals.
Find out more about Dr. Carvalho
The William A. Black Chair — Jenny Chen
The Chair was founded in 1921 by the Honourable William Anderson Black, co-founder of Pickford & Black, once the largest steamship enterprise in the Maritimes. William Black greatly influenced the business and political sectors of Atlantic Canada. He represented Halifax County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, was co-founder of Maritime Life Assurance Company, Minister of Marine and Fisheries (Acting), Minister of Railways and Canals, and an elected member of the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Halifax. He also served as President of Eastern Canada Savings and Loan and was a director for Royal Bank.
The Chair holder, Dr. Jing Chen, is an internationally renowned expert on the interface between marketing and operations, including pricing, channel strategy and co-opetition. She publishes extensively in these areas and her research work is widely cited. Dr. Chen is principal investigator on two NSERC Discover Grants and one SSHRC Insight Development Grant to study issues related to customer returns. She is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Management Science, International Transactions in Operational Research, and International Journal of Inventory Research and has been guest editor for special issues of several academic journals. Professor Chen’s professional contributions have been recognized through multiple service awards from well-known journals. She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Roy A. Jodrey Chair in Commerce & Society — Catherine Loughlin
The Chair was established in 1969 by Roy A. Jodrey, who founded the Avon River Power Company and the Minas Basin Pulp & Paper Company. Jodrey came from humble Maritime roots but was determined to teach himself the basics of business. He was known for his grit, determination and vision, which helped keep him in business even after losing almost everything during the Great Depression. Using every resource available to him he amassed a financial empire and served in over 50 directorships in his lifetime. He is remembered for his outstanding and generous contribution to the economic prosperity of Nova Scotia.
Dr. Catherine Loughlin holds the Jodrey Chair in Business and Society at HÂţ» University in Canada. Her research focuses on building leadership systems to create healthy and inclusive workplaces, organizational change, and conflict resolution. She coaches senior leaders, consults for government and industry, and has coordinated change initiatives across sectors. Her interdisciplinary research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Research, and has been profiled by government, recognized by peers, and featured in the popular press. Her most recent work focuses on links between leadership, complexity theory, and health/performance.