Polar bear facing melting glaciers

Forensic ESG Researcher

Separating green reality from corporate fiction

Associate Professor of Accounting at Nanyang Business School. I investigate how companies hide misconduct behind sustainability claims, using forensic methods to expose greenwashing, fraud, and corporate deception.

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Research featured in

My research exposes the gap between what companies claim and what they actually do. From green hiring patterns that reveal environmental commitment, to AI-augmented audits, to diversity metrics that mask tokenism. I develop forensic methods to detect corporate deception at scale.

Research

14 Publications

Sustainability

AI and fraud

Robot and businessman

Management Science 2025

How does AI shape audit firms?

Businessman sees prisoner in mirror

Journal of Accounting Research 2019

Criminal background checks

Historical immigration photo

Management Science 2022

Immigration fear and minority advisors

Tax

Tropical island aerial view

The Accounting Review 2022

Active tax haven operations

Money padlock

Journal of Accounting Research 2015

Financial constraints and tax

Do The Right Thing graffiti

Review of Accounting Studies 2017

Military experience and tax avoidance

Analysts

Red and blue political brains

Review of Accounting Studies 2016

Political ideology and analyst behavior

Hurricane Katrina aftermath

The Accounting Review 2021

Disruptive life events and risk assessment

Girl with balloon Banksy art

Journal of Financial Reporting 2023

Good-bye I/B/E/S (or not?)

Forensic methods for an age of corporate fiction

I develop novel measurement approaches that reveal what companies actually do, not what they claim. My work uses job postings, linguistic analysis of SEC filings, and machine learning to detect patterns invisible to traditional accounting methods.

Before academia, I was a Senior Corporate Tax Advisor at KPMG Hong Kong. That experience taught me how corporations construct narratives. Now I deconstruct them.

I advise regulators including the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore on detecting corporate misconduct.

Position

Associate Professor of Accounting (with tenure)
Nanyang Business School, NTU Singapore

Editorial boards

The Accounting Review
Accounting, Organizations and Society

Education

Ph.D. in Finance, University of Texas at Austin
M.Sc. Economics, HKUST (Beta Gamma Sigma)
B.Sc. Accounting & Finance, Birmingham (First Class, #1)

Recognition

Excellence in Refereeing Award, Journal of Accounting Research
Best Archival Paper, AAA Auditing Midyear Meeting
Teacher of the Year Award (Accountancy)

Selected writing