Interview with Professor Lisa Jack

Our second interview of the series with Distinguished Accounting and Finance Professors is with Professor Lisa Jack, University of Portsmouth, former president of BAFA, and the 2023 winner of BAFA's Distinguished Academic Award (DAA).

Academic Journey from Accounting to Agriculture

Arman interviews Professor Lisa Jack about her academic journey, which began with a degree in classical Greek and mathematics before transitioning to accounting through a career at Ernst & Young.

Lisa shares her experience of entering academia later in life after working in auditing and teaching professional accounting courses, eventually earning a PhD in agricultural accounting and securing a position at the University of Portsmouth.

She emphasizes that having prior work experience can be advantageous for academic roles and advises early-stage academics to focus on building a strong research foundation while maintaining a balance between teaching and research responsibilities.

Early Career Researcher Writing Strategies

Lisa discussed the challenges faced by early career researchers, emphasizing the importance of finding a specialty and developing it rather than focusing solely on the quantity of publications. Lisa advised treating writing as a craft, learning to write more precisely and communicating effectively, and suggested doing writing tasks regularly, even if only for short periods.

Lisa also highlighted the value of being a lifelong learner and shared his personal experience of improving his writing skills through workshops and learning from a creative writing teacher.

Academic Advancement and Research Challenges

Arman and Lisa discussed the challenges and requirements of advancing to full professorship in academia, emphasizing the importance of networking, maintaining a balance of responsibilities, and seeking external funding.

Lisa highlighted the need for originality, rigor, and a clear contribution in academic research, while also noting the increasing difficulty of securing funding in accounting and finance. They also explored trends in qualitative accounting research, with Lisa expressing interest in work that addresses real-world problems and considers pragmatic solutions.