Liandong ZHANG
Professor ZHANG Liandong is the Dean of the School of Accountancy at Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Lee Kong Chian Professor of Accounting. Since joining SMU in 2017, he has held key leadership roles in the School’s strategic development, serving as Associate Dean (Research) from 2017 to 2023 and as Deputy Dean from 2023 to 2025. He was appointed Dean on 1 July 2025 following an international search.
Professor Zhang is an internationally renowned scholar whose research focuses on financial reporting and disclosure, corporate governance, and taxation. He has published extensively in top-tier journals, including Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Review of Accounting Studies, The Accounting Review, and Journal of Financial Economics. His work has made significant scholarly and societal impact and is widely cited in academic literature, regulatory policy documents, and the media. He has received multiple awards for research excellence, including an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Moskowitz Prize, and is a frequent speaker at leading academic and policy forums worldwide. He currently serves as Editor of Corporate Governance: An International Review and as Associate Editor for the Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics and International Review of Finance.
Professor Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from Nanyang Technological University and a Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University. Prior to joining SMU, he held faculty positions at City University of Hong Kong and the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.
Education
Ph.D. Nanyang Technological University 2008
Research Interests
Financial Reporting
Corporate Disclosure
Corporate Governance
Tax Planning
Digital Information
Teaching Interests
Financial Accounting
Financial Statement Analysis
Accounting Theory
Selected Recognition and Awards
The Moskowitz Prize - Honorable Mention, 2024
SMU Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Award, Singapore Management University, 2024
SOA Dean’s List for Curriculum Contribution, Singapore Management University, 2019, 2020
Lee Kong Chian Professorship, Singapore Management University, 2019
SOA Most Outstanding Researcher Award, Singapore Management University, 2018, 2019
Selected Appointments
Dean (2025–present)
Deputy Dean (2023–2025)
Associate Dean for Research (2017–2023)
Research/Co-Research Advisor to
ZHU Qinghua, SMU-ZJU DBA(A&F) (qinghua.zhu.2021@dba.smu.edu.sg)
LUO Jiehui, SMU-ZJU DBA(A&F) (jiehui.luo.2022@dba.smu.edu.sg)
QU Fang, SMU-ZJU DBA(A&F) (fang.qu.2022@dba.smu.edu.sg)
ZHONG Weikun, SMU-ZJU DBA(A&F) (wkzhong.2022@dba.smu.edu.sg)
Selected Publications
Freedom of Expression Protection and Corporate Concealment of Bad News: Evidence from State Anti-SLAPP Laws, with Jimmy Lee, Shaphan Ng, and Il Sun Yoo. Journal of Accounting Research, forthcoming.
Do Commercial Ties Influence ESG Ratings? Evidence from Moody’s and S&P, with Yun Lou and Xuanbo Li. December 2024. Journal of Accounting Research 62 (5), pp. 1901–1940.
Trade Secrets Law and Corporate Disclosure: Causal Evidence on the Proprietary Cost Hypothesis, with Yinghua Li and Yupeng Lin, March 2018, Journal of Accounting Research 56, 265–308.
Sharing Risk with the Government: How Taxes Affect Corporate Risk Taking, with Alexander Ljungqvist and Luo Zuo, June 2017, Journal of Accounting Research 55, 669–707.
Customer-Supplier Relationships and Corporate Tax Avoidance, with Ling Cen, Edward Maydew, and Luo Zuo, February 2017, Journal of Financial Economics 123, pp.377–394.
Short Selling Pressure, Stock Price Behavior, and Management Forecast Precision: Evidence from a Natural Experiment, with Yinghua Li, March 2015, Journal of Accounting Research 53, pp. 79–117.
CFOs versus CEOs: Equity Incentives and Crashes, with Jeong-bon Kim and Yinghua Li, September 2011. Journal of Financial Economics 101, pp. 713–730.
Corporate Tax Avoidance and Stock Price Crash Risk: Firm-level Analysis, with Jeong-bon Kim and Yinghua Li, June 2011. Journal of Financial Economics 100, pp. 639–662.
