PhD
Accounting
Students in MIT Sloan’s Accounting research group are encouraged to transcend traditional accounting boundaries by integrating comprehensive knowledge of economics and finance into their studies on contemporary financial reporting, disclosure, and contractual issues. The group’s rigorous curriculum, which includes seminars in accounting and finance, equips students with the economic acumen akin to that of MIT Sloan’s Finance PhD candidates. Leveraging the expertise of distinguished faculty members like Michelle Hanlon, whose research focuses on taxation and its intersection with financial accounting, S.P. Kothari, known for his contributions to finance and accounting, and Andrew Sutherland, who explores regulatory impacts on audit markets, students engage with cutting-edge research that is highly relevant to academics, practitioners, and standard setters.
Research from Accounting Faculty
Why aren’t AI open models more widely used?
Open-source and open-weight AI models perform well and cost less — but users opt for closed models 80% of the time, according to new research.
From Navy Captain to CEO: A Veteran Alum on Leadership, Innovation, and the MIT EMBA
From Navy captain to CEO, Van Gurley shares how the MIT Executive MBA transformed his leadership approach, fueled innovation at Metron, and prepared him to lead a mission-driven national security company through growth and change.
Inside Ghana’s SME Economy:
After establishing a strong foothold in Uganda and Zambia through the Shona Capital platform, Kuo Sharper Initiative (KSI), a U.S.-based impact investment fund, is now actively exploring entry into the Ghanaian market. In October 2025 I made an on-the-ground fact-finding mission that evaluated regul...
Frank & Eileen Founder and CEO on Values and Vision in Entrepreneurship
Frank & Eileen Founder and CEO Audrey McLoghlin shared her experiences with entrepreneurship and philanthropy during an October iLead Speaker Series event.
Select Accounting Faculty
Full-Time Faculty
Paul Asquith
Gordon Y Billard Professor of Finance
Paul Asquith is the Gordon Y Billard Professor of Finance and a Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Asquith is a specialist in corporate finance and a media source for the field of corporate finance and control, including…
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John E. Core
Nanyang Technological University Professor of Accounting
John E. Core is the Nanyang Technological University Professor and a Professor of Accounting at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Core has broad research interests in executive compensation and executive stock and option incentives, corporate…
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Michelle Hanlon
Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research
Michelle Hanlon is the Howard W. Johnson Professor, a Professor of Accounting, and Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research at the MIT Sloan School of Management Hanlon’s primary teaching at Sloan is the Taxes and Business Strategy class. She has won…
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S.P. Kothari
Gordon Y Billard Professor of Accounting and Finance, Emeritus
S.P. Kothari is Gordon Y Billard Professor of Accounting and Finance at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Professor Kothari has senior executive experience in government, academia, and industry with expertise in strategic and policy issues,…
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