Dr Kenneth Weir

Biography

Ken is currently a senior lecturer in accountancy at the University of Aberdeen, having joined in January 2023.

Prior to this, Ken worked at Heriot-Watt University as assistant professor in accounting (2019-2022) and at the University of Leicester as a lecturer in accounting (2010-2019).

Ken has experience in designing and delivering a range of accounting courses across undergraduate, postgraduate, and MBA-level degrees. His most recent teaching responsibilities involves management accounting courses, public sector (and non-profit) accounting, and accounting theory courses. 

More recently Ken's research is motivated by the complex interaction between accounting, societies and ecology. Read more about this here.

Ken has also supervised doctoral students to completion, and welcomes PhD applications from candidates who would like to research biodiversity accounting (including accounting for non-human species), ecological accounting, and the study of accountability from a critical theory perspective. Ken is also interested in alternative organisations, and would welcome applications looking to study social and environmental accounting practices in alternative organisations.

Research Overview

Ken’s research is strongly qualitative, generally drawing upon semi-structured interview and case study methods in order to explore specific sites of contemporary accounting practice. Ken also draws on political economy and critical accounting perspectives to reflect upon how attitudes, values, organisations, and ecological thinking is shaped by everyday encounters with calculative practices.

Current Research

Over the last 5 years, Ken has been involved in three main research projects. The first, funded by the Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association  explored wellbeing in the accounting profession, particularly among accountants in England and Wales. The second evaluated recent developments in the areas of social finance and impact investment. Finally, an ongoing research project considers the growing field of biodiversity accounting, notably how public and third sector organisations measure the impact of organizational activities upon local ecosystems and non-human species, and through engaging with posthumanism, theorising communal accountability relationships

Teaching Responsibilities

Ken currently teaches Management Accounting on the MSc Degree Prog.