ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (Education) in accounting and finance, UCL School of Management

Having studied Economics at Pembroke College, Cambridge, I qualified as a chartered accountant with the ICAEW and worked for several years in finance, media, and consulting. I then completed an MSc in Philosophy of the Social Sciences in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at LSE, followed by a PhD on financial reporting in the Department of Accounting. At LSE, I taught undergraduate, postgraduate, executive, and summer school courses on a range of subjects, including: financial and management accounting; management control and strategy; corporate governance, audit and risk management, and accounting for sustainability. I love teaching and use different strategies to maximise students’ engagement and enthusiasm, thereby enhancing their learning experience.

I undertake research in accounting education, as well as more general empirical studies in accounting and management.

My research in accounting education focuses on the application of AI in teaching across three courses at two higher education institutions. The findings suggest that AI can be used to turn students into ‘critical evaluators’ of AI output and that this increases their engagement and improves the performance of weaker students in in-seminar and final assessments. This research aims to be valuable to accounting educators by providing details of the AI interventions implemented in the study and their impact on learning.

My other research focuses on group decision-making, the emergence of norms in performance measurement, and the evolution of accounting and accounting practitioners in the context of social investment. On the topic of group decision-making, I examine how rhetorical strength influences deliberation on corporate boards and in other groups, with a particular focus on how small subgroups can exert disproportionate influence over decision-making. In my research on the emergence of norms in performance measurement, I consider 'fair value accounting' in corporate financial reporting and 'social impact measurement' in the social sector. In my doctoral research, I examined the influence of financial economic theory on accounting practice, primarily with respect to issues of accounting standard setting. The novel contribution of this work was its use of a sequential analysis of regulatory outcomes across jurisdictions and technical areas of financial reporting. My research draws on theories from sociology, social psychology, and philosophy, and employs interviews, documentary analysis, and online experiments to inform my findings. This pluralistic approach enables me to work across disciplinary boundaries and address a diverse audience. Whether examining deliberative biases in group decision-making, the effect of social impact measures on meaningful work, or the ethical status of social impact bonds, my primary concern is to investigate understudied forces influencing organisational decision-making.

I also engage in practice-facing activities. I have published a grant-funded report on socio-economic diversity in the UK community of social investment, and I previously served as a commissioner on the Alternative Commission on Social Investment.

Beyond my academic role, I am a member of the Auriga Academy Trust, a trustee of the Valence Mary Trust, and Chair of the Pembroke College, Cambridge Society.