Afzalur Rashid

Dr. Afzalur Rashid, PhD, CPA, is an internationally recognised accounting scholar, academic leader, and Certified Public Accountant with more than 30 years of academic experience, including over 25 years in higher education across Australia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh. He currently serves as Senior Lecturer in Accounting in the School of Business at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ), Australia, where he contributes to teaching excellence, research development, curriculum leadership, academic quality assurance, professional accreditation, and higher degree research supervision. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to advancing business education, fostering research excellence, supporting student success, and preparing graduates to contribute responsibly and effectively in an increasingly complex and globalised environment.

Dr. Rashid was recognised among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in Accounting, Business and Management in both 2025 and 2026 in the Stanford/Elsevier citation database, reflecting the international visibility of his scholarly contributions. He earned his PhD in Accounting from the University of Wollongong, Australia, whose Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). He also holds a Master of Accounting from Western Sydney University, a Master of Commerce in Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Accounting from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. As a CPA Australia member, he brings professional accounting knowledge and practical perspectives to his teaching, research, and engagement with academic and professional communities.

Over the course of his international academic career, Dr. Rashid has taught and mentored students at undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, DBA, and doctoral levels across diverse educational and cultural settings. His teaching experience encompasses financial and management accounting, corporate governance, sustainability, business ethics, and related areas of accounting and business. His teaching philosophy emphasises research-informed and practice-oriented learning, ethical judgement, professional integrity, analytical thinking, and inclusive student engagement. He believes that accounting education should extend beyond technical competence to cultivate prudence, accountability, responsible decision-making, and a commitment to contributing positively to society. His approach to curriculum development and teaching seeks to connect academic knowledge with contemporary professional practice and the evolving needs of business and the accounting profession.

In addition to his teaching and research responsibilities, Dr. Rashid has undertaken academic leadership and service roles involving curriculum development, program leadership, faculty mentoring, academic quality assurance, assurance of learning, accreditation preparation, and continuous improvement. His previous leadership experience includes serving as Chair and Head of the Bachelor of Business Administration program at Dhaka Commerce College, Bangladesh, and undertaking academic service and research development responsibilities at UniSQ and other institutions. During his appointment at Central Washington University in the United States, he contributed to professional accounting education through his involvement in the Institute of Management Accountants’ accreditation activities. His leadership philosophy emphasises collaboration, faculty engagement, accountability, innovation, and shared responsibility for institutional progress and student achievement.

As a researcher, Dr. Rashid has developed an internationally visible program of scholarship focusing on corporate governance, sustainability reporting, carbon emissions and disclosure, corporate social responsibility, environmental reporting, financial reporting quality, earnings management, and business ethics. He has authored or co-authored 47 peer-reviewed journal articles, with publications in respected international outlets, including the Journal of Business Ethics, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, International Review of Economics and Finance, International Review of Finance, International Review of Financial Analysis, Journal of Financial Research, and Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics. His research examines how governance mechanisms, corporate accountability, and organisational practices influence financial reporting and sustainability-related outcomes. His Google Scholar h-index of 28 reflects the reach and citation impact of his published scholarship. Through his research, he seeks to contribute to scholarly debate and improve understanding of the relationships between corporate governance, reporting practices, sustainability, and responsible business conduct.

Dr. Rashid is also an experienced research mentor and higher degree research supervisor who has successfully supervised eleven PhD candidates, two Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) candidates, and two Research Master’s candidates to completion. He continues to support emerging researchers working in areas such as corporate governance, sustainability reporting, environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure, climate reporting, and financial reporting quality. His supervisory approach emphasises intellectual independence, methodological rigour, constructive feedback, research integrity, and the development of scholars capable of making meaningful contributions to their disciplines.

His scholarly leadership extends to editorial service and the advancement of academic publishing. Dr. Rashid serves as a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Accounting and Information Management. He previously served as Guest Editor of the Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal and as Corporate Governance Section Editor of the Journal of Business Ethics, a journal included in the Financial Times Top 50 journal list. Through these roles, he has contributed to editorial decision-making, the evaluation and development of scholarly research, and the promotion of high standards of academic publishing in accounting, business, governance, and sustainability.

Beyond his institutional and editorial responsibilities, Dr. Rashid has actively engaged with the international academic and professional community through research presentations, invited workshops, professional training, conference participation, and academic collaboration. His career across several countries has enabled him to develop a broad international perspective on accounting education, governance, and sustainability while building relationships with colleagues, students, professional bodies, and research collaborators. He values these partnerships as important avenues for strengthening research quality, supporting academic development, and connecting scholarly work with professional practice and societal needs.

Dr. Rashid’s career reflects a sustained commitment to academic excellence, collaborative leadership, student and faculty development, and impactful scholarship. Combining international academic experience, professional accounting credentials, research recognition, editorial service, and a strong commitment to mentoring future scholars, he continues to contribute to the development of accounting and business education, the advancement of research, and the preparation of responsible professionals and researchers for an increasingly interconnected world.

His continuing goal is to contribute to higher education through excellent teaching, meaningful research, academic leadership, and the development of future generations of professionals and scholars.

“Education is not only about developing knowledge and professional competence; it is also about developing the character, judgement, and responsibility needed to make our organisations and society more liveable.”