PhD in Accounting

Distinguish your education

with a doctorate in Accounting from the Leeds School of Business.

PhD in Accounting Program FlyerMeet Current Students泭泭泭泭Explore FAQs泭

PhD in accounting students

PhD in Accounting

Accounting PhD students are trained to be successful academic researchers. Students are trained to develop their own research ideas and implement appropriate research methods. Our program focuses on empirical research, where students analyze real-world data to study the impact of firm communication and corporate governance practices on markets, organizations, or behavior. 泭The Accounting PhD program provides students the opportunity to work in collaborative relationships with faculty and gain the skills necessary to conduct research that contributes to knowledge in the broad areas of corporate disclosure, governance, and sustainability.

Leeds accounting research reputation is among the strongest: Leeds ranks No. 18 for financial-archival research publications and No. 15 for managerial-archival research publications in the U.S. over the last six years (source: BYU Accounting Research Rankings). Leeds graduates also demonstrate strong research potential: Leeds accounting PhD program ranks No. 28 for financial-archival publications and No. 7 for managerial-archival publications six years post-graduation.

Our program also places strong emphasis on preparing our graduates for the classroom. Accounting students build their teaching portfolio by first acting as a teaching apprentice (TA) for a semester-long accounting class and subsequently teaching their own two sections of a semester-long class.

General details about the curriculum, requirements, and structure of the program can be found here. Please be aware this document is not an exhaustive list of the requirements for the Program.

Program Faculty

Led by Program Directors Nathan Marshall and Bryce Schonberger, our award-winning and renowned Accounting faculty are published experts on topics including:

  • Corporate Disclosure

  • Information Intermediaries

  • Market Microstructure

  • Corporate Governance

  • Executive Compensation

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Standard Setting

  • Empirical Financial Research

  • Econometrics

Tandean Rustandy Esteemed Professor

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Associate Professor Tisone Memorial Fellow & KPMG Faculty Fellow Accounting PhD Program Director

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Stone Family Faculty Scholar

Associate Professor Chair of the Professional Effectiveness Division Interim Chair of the Accounting Division

Assistant Professor JRN Faculty Scholar

Assistant Professor Craig and Cynthia Smith Faculty Scholar

Assistant Professor Dean's Faculty Scholar

Assistant Professor

Plante Moran-Dave Steiner Accounting Faculty Fellowship Endowed Fund Professor Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility Faculty Director

Tisone Memorial Fellow Professor Senior Associate Dean for Faculty

Learn more about泭

Program Graduates

The PhD program prepares students to be researchers and teachers at major universities. See where our graduates started their careers and published research.

Dongoh Shin
PhD: 2025
Placement: Wayne State 勛圖厙
Dissertation: Who are my roommates: Corporate co-tenancy and information environment

Scott Robinson
PhD: 2025
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Oregon
Dissertation: Environmental Disclosure in Proxy Statements: Evidence from Shareholder Voting in Contentious Director Elections

Jackie Wegner
PhD: 2024
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Southern California
Dissertation: The Information Gatekeeping Role of Search Engines: Evidence from Investor Trading

Jesse Glaze
PhD: 2022
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Texas, El Paso
Dissertation: Fast-Thinking Attention and the Disposition Effect

Nicholas Jasa
PhD: 2020
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Nebraska Omaha
Dissertation: Risk Disclosure and Event Impact Mitigation: Evidence from Security Breaches

Tongqing Ding
PhD: 2019
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Melbourne
Dissertation: Understanding Heterogeneous Board Busyness: Determinants and Implications

Nikki Skinner
PhD: 2019
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Georgia
Dissertation: Changing the Channel: The Relation between Information Complexity and Disclosure Channel Richness

Leah Baer
PhD: 2018
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Missouri at Columbia
Dissertation: Are All Interim CEOs Created Equal? Evidence from Investor Perceptions and CEO Behavior

Caleb Rawson
PhD: 2018
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Arkansas
Dissertation: Who Let the Secrets Out? Overconfidence and the disclosure of proprietary information

Judith Hermis
PhD: 2017
Placement: Naval Postgraduate School
Dissertation: Corporate Political Influence and Contract Risk: Evidence from Federal Procurement

Andrea Pawliczek
PhD: 2017
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Missouri at Columbia
Dissertation: The Effect of Performance Shares on Executive Incentives

Jonathan Black
PhD: 2015
Placement: Purdue 勛圖厙
Dissertation: Assessing the Impact of Credit Derivative Seller Disclosure

Adam Bordeman
PhD: 2015
Placement: California Polytechnic State 勛圖厙
Dissertation: The Effects of Discretion in Accounting Standards on Financial Reporting Comparability

Jessica Weber
PhD: 2014
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Nevada, Reno
Dissertation: Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Level, External Assurance and Cost of Equity Capital

Marc Cussatt
PhD: 2014
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Washington, Pullman
Dissertation: The Usefulness of Pension Obligation Estimates Evidence from the Post-Financial Crisis Era

Jeremy Michels
PhD: 2014
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania
Dissertation: Essays on Disclosure

Paige Patrick
PhD: 2013
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Washington
Dissertation: Essays in Executive Compensation

Troy Pollard
PhD: 2013
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Alabama
Dissertation: Sneaking in the Back Door? An Evaluation of Reverse Mergers and IPOs

Kristin Luttecke
PhD: 2012
Placement: 勛圖厙 of North Carolina, Charlotte
Dissertation: Expectations Management Around Fixed Date Stock Option Grants

Sanghyuk Byun
PhD: 2012
Placement: Sogang 勛圖厙, Korea
Dissertation: Determinants and Implications of Executive Pay Dispersion and Compensation to Investor Relations Officers

Brian Burnett
PhD: 2011
Placement: Indiana 勛圖厙, Bloomington
Dissertation: Essays on Disclosure and Legal Origin

Curtis Nicholls
PhD: 2010
Placement: Bucknell 勛圖厙
Dissertation: The Impact of Accounting & Auditing Enforcement Actions on Firms Cost of Equity Capital

Qiuhong Zhao
PhD: 2010
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Missouri at Columbia
Dissertation: Credit Rating Agency Efficiency: Credit Watch, Monitoring Role, and Effects of Earnings Management

Greg Martin
PhD: 2009
Initial Placement: 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Current Placement: Indiana 勛圖厙-Purdue 勛圖厙 Indianapolis
Dissertation: Shareholder Rights Relation to Earnings Management: A Pre- and Post-Sarbanes Oxley Examination

Boo Chun Jung
PhD: 2007
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Hawaii, Manoa
Dissertation: Information Asymmetry and the Relations between Dividend Increases, Risk and Expected Future Earnings Changes

Stephan Fafatas
PhD: 2006
Placement: Washington & Lee 勛圖厙
Dissertation: Audit Failure, Auditor Reputation, and Risk Management Strategies

Yanhua Sunny Yang
PhD: 2006
Initial Placement: 勛圖厙 of Texas, Austin
Current Placement: 勛圖厙 of Connecticut
Dissertation: Earnings Management as a Response to the Threat of Exchange Delisting

Ran Zhang
PhD: 2006
Placement: Peking 勛圖厙
Dissertation: Cash Flow Management and Its Market Pricing

Veronda Willis
PhD: 2005
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Texas - San Antonio

David Paul Weber
PhD: 2005
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Connecticut

Jialin Kevin Sun
PhD: 2005
Placement: 勛圖厙 of Hawai at Manoa

Sung Wook Yoon
PhD: 2004
Placement: Winona State 勛圖厙

Rafael Lara
PhD: 2003
Placement: Concordia 勛圖厙 - Montreal Canada

Dov Fischer
PhD: 2003
Placement: Simon Fraser 勛圖厙, Burnaby B.C.


Accounting Review
Scott A. Robinson - 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder (PhD 2025)
Nicole A. Skinner - 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder (PhD 2019)
Jasmine Wang - 勛圖厙 of Virginia

(2023)
Review of Accounting Studies
Jesse Glaze 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder (PhD 2022)
Nikki Skinner 勛圖厙 of Georgia (PhD 2019)
Andrew Stephan 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder


Journal of Accounting Research泭
Andrea Pawliczek 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder (PhD 2017)
Nikki Skinner 勛圖厙 of Georgia (PhD 2019)
Sarah L.C. Zechman 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder


The Accounting Review泭
Marc Cussatt Clemson 勛圖厙 (PhD 2014)
Paul Demere 勛圖厙 of Georgia


The Accounting Review泭
Nathan Marshall 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder
Nikki Skinner 勛圖厙 of Georgia (PhD 2019)


The Accounting Review泭
Bok Baik Seoul National 勛圖厙
Katherine Gunny 勛圖厙 of Colorado Denver
Boochun Jung 勛圖厙 of Hawaii at Manoa (PhD 2007)
Duri Park Sogang 勛圖厙


The Accounting Review泭
Sophia Hamm Tulane 勛圖厙
Boochun Jung 勛圖厙 of Hawaii at Manoa (PhD 2007)
Woo-Jong Lee Seoul National 勛圖厙
Daniel Yang The Ohio State 勛圖厙


Review of Accounting Studies泭
Andrea Pawliczek 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder (PhD 2017)
Nikki Skinner 勛圖厙 of Georgia (PhD 2019)
Laura Wellman Pennsylvania State 勛圖厙


The Accounting Review泭
Andrea Pawliczek 勛圖厙 of Missouri (PhD 2017)


The Accounting Review泭
Jonathan Black Purdue 勛圖厙 (PhD 2015)
Chad Ham Washington 勛圖厙 in St. Louis
Michael Kimbrough 勛圖厙 of Maryland


Review of Accounting Studies泭
Caleb Rawson 勛圖厙 of Arkansas (PhD 2018)


Journal of Accounting and Economics泭
Brian Bushee 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania
Matthew Cedergren 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania
Jeremy Michels 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania (PhD 2014)


Review of Accounting Studies泭
Stephen Glaeser 勛圖厙 of North Carolina
Jeremy Michels 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania (PhD 2014)
Robert Verrecchia 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania


The Accounting Review泭
David P. Weber 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2005)
Yanhua Sunny Yang 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2006)


The Accounting Review泭
Jonathan Black Purdue 勛圖厙 (PhD 2015)
Jeff Zeyun Chen Texas Christian 勛圖厙
Marc Cussatt Washington State 勛圖厙 (PhD 2014)


Journal of Accounting Research
Yonca Ertimur - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder
Caleb Rawson - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder (PhD 2018)
Jonathan L Rogers - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder
Sarah L.C. Zechman - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder


Review of Accounting Studies
Christopher Ittner 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania泭
Jeremy Michels 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania (PhD 2014)


Journal of Accounting Research泭泭 泭
Jeremy Michels - 勛圖厙 of Pennsylvania (PhD 2014)


The Accounting Review泭泭 泭
Kevin K Li - 勛圖厙 of Toronto
Charles M.C. Lee - Stanford 勛圖厙
Ran Zhang - Peking 勛圖厙, Guanghua (PhD 2006)


The Accounting Review泭泭 泭
Sarah C. Rice - Texas A&M 勛圖厙 at College Station
David P. Weber - 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2005)
Biyu Wu - 勛圖厙 of Connecticut


Journal of Accounting Research泭泭 泭
Michael Willenborg 勛圖厙 of Connecticut
Biyu Wu - 勛圖厙 of Nebraska at Lincoln
Yanhua Sunny Yang - 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2006)


Journal of International Business Studies泭泭 泭泭泭 泭
Liang Shao - Hong Kong Baptist 勛圖厙
Chuck C Kwok - 勛圖厙 of South Carolina at Columbia
Ran Zhang - Peking 勛圖厙, Guanghua (PhD 2006)


Contemporary Accounting Research
Boochun Jung 勛圖厙 of Hawaii (PhD 2007)
WooJong Lee The Hong Kong Polytechnic 勛圖厙
David P. Weber 勛圖厙 of Connecticut


The Accounting Review泭泭 泭
Brian M Burnett - Indiana 勛圖厙 at Bloomington (PhD 2011)
Bradrick M. Cripe - Northern Illinois 勛圖厙泭
Gregory W. Martin - Indiana 勛圖厙 at Bloomington (PhD 2009)
Brian P. McAllister - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Colorado Springs


Contemporary Accounting Research
Boochun Jung 勛圖厙 of Hawaii (PhD 2007)
Naomi Soderstrom 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder
Yanhua Sunny Yang 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2006)


The Accounting Review
Jeremy Michels 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder (PhD 2014)


Journal of Accounting and Economics泭泭 泭
Boochun Jung 勛圖厙 of Hawaii at Manoa (PhD 2007)
Philip B. Shane 勛圖厙 of Virginia, McIntire
Yanhua Sunny Yang - 勛圖厙 of Texas at Austin (PhD 2006)


Journal of Accounting Research泭泭 泭
Sarah C. Rice - 勛圖厙 of Connecticut
David P. Weber - 勛圖厙 of Connecticut (PhD 2005)


The Accounting Review
Leslie G. Eldenburg - The 勛圖厙 of Arizona
Katherine A. Gunny - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder
Kevin W. Hee - San Diego State 勛圖厙 (PhD 2008)
Naomi Soderstrom - 勛圖厙 of Colorado at Boulder