UB welcomes scholars to financial economics and accounting conference

By Alexandra Richter

BUFFALO, N.Y. — More than 175 attendees came to Buffalo from universities and organizations around the world to learn from financial economists and accounting scholars who shared their research at the 34th annual Conference for Financial Economics and Accounting Oct. 24-26 hosted by the University at Buffalo School of Management.

The conference was organized by members of a consortium of nine universities and presented by the UB School of Management’s Department of Finance and Department of Accounting and Law.

Leading scholars from such renowned institutions as Yale, Cornell, The Ohio State University, University of Toronto, UCLA, Peking University and University of Chicago offered more than 50 presentations throughout the event. In addition, Bryan Kelly, Frederick Frank ’54 and Mary C. Tanner Professor of Finance at the Yale School of Management, delivered the first day’s keynote speech, and Shivaram Rajgopal, Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing, at Columbia Business School, was the second day’s keynote speaker.

“This year’s conference offered a collaborative opportunity for scholars to discuss pressing topics in finance and accounting such as financial machine learning and AI, environmental disclosures and the evolving impact of regulations shaping both disciplines,” says Cristian Tiu, chair and associate professor of finance in the UB School of Management and co-organizer of the conference.

At the welcome reception, conference organizers and attendees recognized six UB alumni with a 2024 PhD Achievement Award. The honorees are widely recognized experts in their fields of research and have made outstanding contributions to their communities and the world. The awardees included:

• Angela K. Gore, PhD ’00, professor of accountancy, George Washington University School of Business
• E. Han Kim, PhD ’75, Everett E. Berg Professor Emeritus of Business Administration and Finance, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
• Yongtae Kim, PhD ’01, Robert and Barbara McCullough Professor of Accounting, Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business
• Stanley J. Kon, PhD ’76, chairman, Ripsaw LLC; editor, The Journal of Fixed Income
• Cheng-Few Lee, PhD ’73, Distinguished Professor of Finance and Economics, Rutgers University; editor-in-chief, The Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, and the Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies
• Lemma W. Senbet, PhD ’76, Dean’s Chaired Professor, University of Maryland, College Park

Tiu organized the event with UB School of Management colleagues Feng Gu, chair and professor of accounting and law, and Chunchi Wu, M&T Professor of Banking and Finance.

Participants from outside the area also had the opportunity to explore the Buffalo Niagara region, including visits to the Niagara Falls Power Plant and the Niagara Underground Railroad Heritage Center.