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Despite a growing awareness of the gap between professional expectations and competence, there has been no comprehensive appraisal of sustainable food systems (SFS) education within dietetics and nutrition programs to date. Dietitians and nutritionists play important roles in promoting sustainability yet many perceive themselves to be inadequately trained. The purpose of this study was to explore how, and to what degree, SFS education is incorporated into accredited nutrition and dietetics programs in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

A content analysis of course descriptions from program websites was conducted between 2021 and 2022. Courses were reviewed, analyzed and evaluated using a novel sustainability metric.

SFS is integrated into the education environment of some, but not all, dietetics and nutrition programs to varying degrees (no, partial and full). Partial and full integration was present in a small percentage of courses, with a larger percentage in nutrition programs. SFS education was offered more often through a single unit than a dedicated course. Twelve best practice examples of courses dedicated to SFS were identified. In the UK, their focus was nutrition and diet, contrasting food and food systems in Australia and Canada.

These findings provide insight into SFS education for professional societies, instructors and program directors. Through intentional curricular design considerations supported by this study, program leads can take small conscious reorganizational steps to integrate SFS. This study offers a sound methodology to initiate and benchmark further assessment and a novel approach for other professions looking to equip their future workforce through SFS education.

This paper aims to describe the phenomenon of tyrannical leadership in the academic setting, emphasizing the research scholars. It seeks to understand how research scholars experience and perceive tyrannical leadership, its effects on their scholarly output and well-being, and coping strategies.

This study uses a qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach, utilizing the Gioia methodology to explore the experiences of research scholars under tyrannical leadership. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 research scholars from various disciplines who have experienced tyrannical leadership. The conservation of resources (COR) theory served as the theoretical framework for analysis.

This study reveals four key dimensions of tyrannical leadership in academia: manifestations of tyrannical leadership, consequences on scholars, institutional and personal responses, and impacts on the future academic landscape. The main issues were stress and social isolation, decreased performance and study results, and potential effects on future employment opportunities. Lack of institutional support and the cultivation of individual ways of dealing with stress were also mentioned.

This study provides original insights into how tyrannical leadership impacts doctoral students’ academic performance, well-being and coping strategies, addressing a significant gap in both leadership and higher education research. It extends the application of COR theory to educational contexts and offers insights that can inform policy changes and improve support systems for early-career researchers in higher education.