Dr. Edmund Adam holds a fellowship with The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada at the Faculty of Education, York University in Canada. Adam compares higher education institutions and higher education systems. His research lies at the intersection of higher education studies, organizational sociology, political economy, and international relations. This multidisciplinary approach to inquiry reflects his conviction that understanding the profound changes affecting social life in the global age increasingly requires an examination of the growing forms of complexity. These can no longer be approached from a single academic discipline or area of knowledge. The big challenges facing the world today (e.g., climate change, pandemics, eroding trust in governments, terrorism, poverty, forced migration, urbanization, corruption, and sustainable development) are all multidimensional in nature. They thus require research that both cuts across and reaches beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries.

Through his research, Dr. Adam endeavors to help higher education leaders, policymakers, and the public to make informed decisions that take account of implications, address repercussions, and serve the common good. His research has appeared in the International Review of Sociology, International Journal of Educational Development, and Journal of Further and Higher Education.