Muhammad Azizul Islam

Muhammad Azizul Islam is Professor in Sustainability Accounting & Transparency and Chair in Accountancy at the University of Aberdeen Business School, where he also serves as Director of Research for the Accounting Discipline. A Chartered Accountant (CAANZ), he was conferred Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) in Spring 2025 for his social science impact. His leadership includes membership in the University Senate representing the Business School.

• Professor in Sustainability Accounting & Transparency
• Chair in Accountancy
• Director of Research, Accounting Discipline
• Member, University Senate
• Chartered Accountant (CAANZ)

Professor Islam's research focuses on sustainability accounting and transparency, specializing in human rights disclosures, modern slavery reporting in global fashion chains, social audits, climate change accounting, and anti-bribery measures. His work investigates how corporations address ethical challenges in global supply chains, with particular emphasis on Bangladeshi garment industry conditions and worker exploitation during crises like the Rana Plaza collapse and Covid-19 pandemic. He examines the role of NGOs, social movements, and regulatory frameworks in driving corporate accountability.

His publication portfolio reveals strong trends in modern slavery disclosures (42% of recent work), corporate transparency mechanisms (28%), and crisis-era labor exploitation (21%). He frequently analyzes UK Modern Slavery Act implementation gaps and develops frameworks for shadow accounting of worker conditions. His research consistently bridges academic theory with real-world policy impact through engagement with Fashion Watchdog and similar movements.

• Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) 2025
• Vice-Chancellor Excellence Award: Research Project of the Year 2022
• Vice-Chancellor Excellence Award: Research Impact 2023
• Scottish Fair-Trade Award 2022
• Green Gown Award Finalist (UKRI) 2022 & 2023
• Times Higher Education Awards Finalist 2023

Professor Islam has secured major research funding from ACCA, CPA Australia, CAANZ, UKRI-AHRC, and GCRF-SFC, including two prestigious grants on corporate accountability in global fashion chains. His work directly influences policy through partnerships with Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre. He actively supervises doctoral research on supply chain ethics and contributes to public discourse through regular media commentary in BBC, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera. His Aberdeen Business School blog translates academic findings into actionable insights for practitioners.