Accounting research


A faculty member points at a number on a projector screen in an ACCT 325 course

Research information

The Accounting academic area has highly productive research faculty who also are outstanding educators. Accounting faculty hold editorships at and regularly publish in leading academic journals, including The Accounting Review and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, among many others.

KU Accounting faculty rank No. 1 globally for audit archival research and No. 2 globally for all audit research contributions, according to Brigham Young University's 2023 index of account research. BYU’s accounting research rankings also place our faculty at No. 11 over the past six years and No. 12 over the past 12 years for their contributions in all archival research.

The area's mission contains three dimensions:

  • To provide high-quality programs that prepare students for professional careers in accounting or for successful graduate study;
  • To enable faculty to conduct exceptional research that contributes to the field of accounting, and to share the results of that research with academic and professional communities;
  • To provide service to the academic and professional communities at the University of Kansas, in the state of Kansas, and at the regional and national levels.

Every two years, the Accounting academic area hosts the Deloitte/KU Audit Symposium, a two-day conference that brings leaders from the public accounting industry, regulatory agencies such as the SEC, FASB and PCAOB, and university accounting scholars to discuss issues and present research relevant to the contemporary audit environment. The Deloitte/KU Audit Symposium has been held since 1972 and is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious and influential academic accounting conferences.

Area directors

Degree programs

Research topics

  • Auditing

  • Financial reporting & accounting

  • Regulation

  • Corporate taxation

  • Disclosure

  • Accounting information systems

In the Media

  • Exterior view of the White House

    Kansas Reflector

    Corporate executives offer rosier business forecasts if politically aligned

  • Illustration of person pointing to "audit" text

    Accounting Today

    Depositors blame bank failures on audit firms

Recent research & news

Aerial view of Capitol Federal Hall with Fraser Hall in the background

Accounting faculty again earn top spot in BYU rankings

For the fifth year in a row, KU accounting faculty earned a No. 1 global ranking for their audit archival research contributions over the past six and 12 years, according to Brigham Young University’s 2023 rankings.
Two people meet at a table with notebooks and a laptop

Study: Reliable internal candidates preferred over more qualified external ones

Working hard is regarded as a strong motivation for earning a promotion. But research from associate professor Jeremy Lill suggests companies that are hiring favor such extra effort when displayed by internal candidates even more than better-qualified external candidates.
Rendering of compass pointing to "taxes" text in front of graph with money

Research: Executive compensation incentives influence firms’ conforming tax avoidance

The line between tax avoidance and tax evasion is often very thin. An article from assistant professor Mehmet Kara examines how executive equity incentives are associated with firms' conforming tax avoidance.
Detail shot of cords inserted into equipment

Study: Investment in IT helps companies maximize innovation

Companies must innovate to sustain competitive advantage. But newly published work from Adi Masli, Koch Foundation Professor, reveals how integral information technology is to maintaining that advantage. “Whether they’re managing the communication, the networking or the actual system in place, the knowledge of IT employees is very important in maximizing innovation output," says Masli, whose work was published in the journal Information Systems Research.

Area directors

Keith Jones
Keith Jones
Area Director, Accounting, Deloitte Professor
Alee Phillips
Alee S. Phillips
Master of Accounting Program Director, Assistant Area Director, Accounting, Lecturer

Accounting faculty

Josh Arpin
Josh Arpin
Lecturer
Matthew Beck
Matthew Beck
Associate Professor
Mark Best
Mark Best
Lecturer
Scott Bronson
Scott N. Bronson
Associate Professor
Kelvie Crabb
Kelvie Crabb
Master of Accounting Program Associate Director, Lecturer
Mike Falk
Mike Falk
Lecturer
Rachel Green
Rachel A. Green
Master of Accounting Program Associate Director, Lecturer
Mehmet Kara
Mehmet Kara
Assistant Professor
Chan Li
Chan Li
C.A. Scupin Professor
Jeremy Lill
Jeremy Lill
Associate Professor, Jack and Shirley Howard Mid-Career Professor
Nathan Lundstrom
Nathan Lundstrom
Assistant Professor
Adi Masli
Adi Masli
Koch Foundation Professor
Lawrence Morriss Jr.
Lawrence D. Morriss Jr.
Professor of the Practice
Min Park
Min Park
Assistant Professor
Susan Scholz
Susan Scholz
Executive Associate Dean, Stanley P. Porter Professor
Lana Scroggins
Lana Scroggins
Assistant Teaching Professor
Kristin Stack
Kristin Stack
Assistant Professor
Eric Weisbrod
Eric Weisbrod
Associate Professor
Scott Whisenant
Scott Whisenant
Associate Professor
Mike Wilkins
Mike Wilkins
Larry D. Horner/KPMG Professor, Doctoral Coordinator, Accounting
Amanda Winn
Amanda Winn
Associate Professor