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
How organizations can capture value from digital colleagues
As AI systems become more capable, companies will need to think beyond individual tools and begin managing AI as a digital colleague — part of how teams, workflows, and business processes operate.
Peter R. Fisher Named to Federal Reserve Communications Task Force
Peter R. Fisher, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy (GCFP) 2025-2026, has been named to one of five task forces the Federal Reserve has convened to review the conduct of monetary policy.
Redefining Leadership Beyond the Uniform
After more than two decades serving in the military, intelligence community, and the White House, Robert Bair, EMBA '23, turned to the MIT Executive MBA to prepare for his next chapter. In this Q&A, he shares how the program helped him bridge the gap between public service and business, reshape his ...
Study suggests MSCI's ESG ratings favor stability over frequent updates
A new MIT Sloan School of Management study finds that the ratings investors rely on are quietly optimized for stability by MSCI, the world’s largest ESG ratings provider.
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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Example PhD Thesis Topics
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Yuting Wang (2025)
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Gabriel Voelcker (2024)
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Rachel Yoon (2023)
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Samuel Anderson (2022)
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Brian Baik (2022)