Craig Deegan

Professor Craig Deegan is a leading academic in the field of accounting at the University of Tasmania, where he serves as Professor of Accounting and Acting Head of the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics. He has previously held professorial roles at RMIT University and the University of Southern Queensland, and his work is internationally recognized for its impact and influence.

His research focuses on social and environmental accountability, financial accounting, and accounting theory. He is one of the most highly cited accounting researchers globally, with over 38,000 citations on Google Scholar, and has been recognized as Australia’s Research Field Leader in Accounting and Taxation by The Australian. His work has appeared in top-tier journals such as Accounting, Organizations and Society, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, and Journal of Business Ethics.

His recent publications reflect a strong trend toward accountability in sustainability, climate change reporting, supply chain ethics, and critical analysis of corporate disclosures. His work often applies legitimacy theory and institutional perspectives to examine how organizations respond to societal expectations.

• Educational Publishing Awards Australia – Most Outstanding Tertiary Resource Award (2020)
• Peter Brownell Manuscript Award
• University of Southern Queensland Award for Excellence in Research
• Best Paper Awards at nine international conferences
• Australia’s Research Field Leader in Accounting and Taxation (2018)

Craig Deegan has supervised over 25 PhD students and numerous master’s and honours students. He has secured multiple research grants from bodies including the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand and the Blue Economy CRC. His current projects include accountability frameworks for seasonal work, carbon offset methodologies, and stakeholder accountability in biodiversity reporting. He is also involved in consultancy work, including a major report on Tasmania’s hydrogen economy.

He leads research teams focused on sustainability accounting, stakeholder engagement, and social auditing, and is deeply involved in advancing both academic knowledge and practical applications in corporate accountability and ethical financial reporting.