AFAANZ Doctoral Education Network (AFDEN)
Initiated in 2015, the AFAANZ Doctoral Education Network (AFDEN) aims to encourage and help enable the broad offering of a rich suite of doctoral-level subjects suitable for accounting and finance students in their first year of study, leading up to confirmation. Through AFDEN, AFAANZ does not purport to grant degrees or offer any of its own coursework. AFDEN, very much like its European "cousin" EDEN, purely facilitates a co-ordinated network for accounting and finance doctoral education across our region.
Director
Associate Professor Julie Harrison is the Director of AFDEN. The Director report to the AFAANZ Board.
Core AFDEN Goal
AFDEN aims to facilitate the broad offering of coursework units/subjects relevant to PhD candidates in Accounting or Finance enrolled in Australian and New Zealand universities. The primary aim is to seamlessly facilitate a program providing PhD candidates the opportunity to develop world-class research skills and knowledge, helping to better prepare them to (a) produce high quality dissertations; and (b) enter an academic career path (for those aiming at such a career track).
Core Principles
AFDEN makes a commitment to:
- Simplicity of operation: a focus on facilitation and flexibility.
- Inclusivity: units are available to PhD candidates across all AFAANZ universities, subject to optimal class size constraints. Units may hosted by any AFAANZ institution.
- Devolution: each university, indeed each candidate, decides the extent they wish to participate in the program.
- No poaching: students remain enrolled in their home institution.
- In-Load teaching: Teaching into AFDEN is appropriately recognised in the hosting university’s workload model where possible.
Course Offerings
AFAANZ calls for applications from academics to nominate and host PhD level coursework units. It is envisaged that in the “steady state” mode of AFDEN, such courses will be approved PhD coursework units (or equivalent) on the books of the host institution. As such, these courses will have a highly “streamlined” recognition as part of the suite offered within AFDEN. We will also consider workshops, in circumstances where courses may not be feasible.
2025 AFDEN Offerings
Python Coding for Accounting and Finance Research
presented by Dr Leonard Leye Li
Overview
This course is designed to equip doctoral students and early career researchers in accounting and finance with foundational and practical skills in Python programming, tailored specifically for empirical research. We will cover core programming concepts, data manipulation techniques, and statistical analysis methods using Python. Emphasis will be placed on applications to real-world accounting and finance data, such as Compustat, CRSP, and textual data. Through hands-on assignments and coding exercises, students will learn how to efficiently clean data, perform statistical testing, and visualize results. The goal is not only to become competent in coding but also to use Python as a tool to enhance the quality and efficiency of academic research.
The outline that follows provides a brief description of the material that is covered in the course. The course consists of one 2-hour online Introductory Module, which introduces the Python fundamentals for research (Module1), one 2-hour online module covering the Pandas framework and handling and analysing data (Module 2), and two in-person sessions on using WRDS with Python and textual analysis (Module 3) and other broader empirical methods related to the use of Python (Module 4).
The first two module will be held online, and the next second module will be held in-person at the UNSW Sydney campus:
- Modules 1-2: Monday 1 September 2025, four hours, online, 10:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 15:00
- Modules 3-4: Monday 12 September 2025, four hours, in person (Room BUS 118 at UNSW Sydney), 10:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 15:00
Final Assessment Due: Monday 26 September 2025, 5.00pm.
Course outline is available HERE.
We have reached the registration limit, so we are no longer taking registrations.
Quantitative Research in Sustainability Accounting
presented by Professor Naomi Soderstrom
Overview
This course is designed to give students a background on accounting sustainability research. The course will trace the development of the field, identifying research themes, methods, and challenges in pursuing sustainability research topics. The course consists of three 2-hour modules. The first will an overview of historical sustainability-related research, identifying themes that resonate with current research. The second module will focus on market valuation of climate-related disclosures. The focus on disclosure is particularly relevant for Australian researchers given the new climate-related reporting standards in Australia as well as new disclosure requirements under IFRS. The third module will focus on measurement issues in sustainability research, particularly related to measuring sustainability performance.
The first module will be held online, and the remaining modules will be held in-person at the University of Melbourne:
- Module 1: Monday 13 October 2025, two hours, online 10:00-12:00 AEST
- Modules 2-3: Friday 7 November 2025, four hours, in person 10:00-12:00; 13:00-15:00 at the University of Melbourne - Room 8.038, The Spot, 198 Berkeley Street, Parkville.
Final Assessment Due: Friday 5 December 2025, 5 p.m.
Course outline is available HERE.
To register your interest, please click HERE. Students will need to be AFAANZ student members, email info@afaanz.org if you need to join or renew your membership.
Notes on registering for the above events:
- Click on HERE "To register your interest" above
- Click on Purchase Event button
- Fill in details and click on Add to Cart button
- Click on Cart icon at top of page
- Check that the item is listed then click on Checkout button
- Login into your AFAANZ account (or create an account) and enter Billing Details if fields are empty then click Next button
- If all looks OK, click on Place Order button and it's all done!
- You will receive a confirmation email as well.
If you have any queries, contact info@afaanz.org
Finance Theory - presented by Professor Tom Smith
Overview
This course, which is the first in the sequence of doctoral seminars offered in finance, is designed to introduce students to the major models of asset pricing and to rational expectations models. All of the material is developed from first principles, so there are no formal prerequisites for taking this seminar. It is assumed, however, that students are familiar with basic microeconomic theory and have a working knowledge of both calculus and matrix algebra. The outline that follows provides a brief description of the material that is covered in the course. The course consists of three 2 Day Modules which deal with three broad categories of asset pricing models: single-period static models and discrete time intertemporal models (Module 1), continuous time mathematics, Black Scholes and continuous time models (Module 2) and finally rational expectations models: fully revealing equilibrium, noisy rational expectations equilibrium, the Kyle model, its extensions and future directions (Module 3).
The class will be online this year with a zoom session 3-5 on Saturday for each module
- Module 1 Saturday 1st March
- Module 2 Saturday 5th April
- Module 3 Saturday 3rd May
Final Exam: Thursday June 5th 2-5pm
Course outline is available HERE. To register your interest, please contact Tom Smith.
This course will be offered online.
Empirical Finance - presented by Professor Tom Smith
Overview
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the empirical methods of modern Finance. We do not have time to cover all the topics or papers in the field. However, the subset of topics and papers which we do cover are chosen because they highlight some of the key concepts involved in current empirical work in Finance. Assignments are an important part of this course. In these assignments you will be asked to test some of the models that we study. The idea being to reproduce (or otherwise) the results reported in the studies which we examine. It is felt that that this sort of learning by doing is an integral part of internalizing new ideas and concepts. There will be two assignments in the course. These assignments can be done either individually or in groups but group work is encouraged as this helps to develop a cohort which is very valuable to you as your research career goes forward. Each group will get a chance to present solutions to the problems in class. This gives the other students in the class a chance to see how a particular group approached the problems, and also provide members of the presenting group with an opportunity to develop their presentation skills. In addition to the assignments, there will be a closed notes, closed book final exam.
Online with a 3-5 pm Zoom session the Saturday of each module
- Module 1: Saturday 26th July
- Module 2: Saturday 23rd August
- Module3: Saturday 20th September
Final Exam: Thurs 30th October 2-5pm
Course outline is available HERE.
This course will be offered online. To register your interest, please contact Tom Smith.
Research Methodologies
Overview
The proficient use of research methodologies is essential for undertaking an academic research project or higher degree research. This subject is designed help graduate students choose and apply appropriate methodologies to address research questions in Finance. The subject runs over four consecutive days, with each day devoted to a particular research methodology.
The following methodologies are investigated: (1) systematic literature reviews, (2) qualitative research, (3) surveys and experimental research, and (4) econometrics. The general approach is to describe each methodology and explain how it is used, before providing concrete examples of its use in the published literature. Additional readings and resources are also provided, so that students can gain a deeper understanding of each research methodology, and they are given a hands-on example where they can practice applying it themselves. The subject also highlights the key methodological issues and concerns that attract the attention of journal editors and reviewers, so that students can successfully position their research for journal publication.
The course will run virtually from July 14 to 17, 2025 from 3-5pm via zoom. The course outline is available HERE. To register your interest, please contact Tom Smith or Martina Linnenluecke.
Assessment
Formal recognition of coursework completion and satisfactory progress in a student’s academic record will be exclusively governed by the rules and regulations specified at their enrolled institution. In those cases in which students take a subject for credit, at the completion of the subject the Director/course instructor will communicate their level of accomplishment to the relevant officer of their university so that it can be formally recognised.
Structure of Courses
While AFDEN’s underlying philosophy places supreme value on a “face to face” cohort effect, a variety of delivery modes might be used including:
In some cases, web-based delivery might also be used. Decisions on the mode of delivery and the imposition of any class size caps will made by the course instructor/ host institution.
AFDEN Travel Grants
AFAANZ has a limited number of $800 travel grants to support PhD students attending in-person AFDEN courses. The grants are open to PhD students from AFAANZ Institutional Members who have confirmed places in one of the in-person AFDEN courses. Applications will be reviewed based on relevance and need.
To apply, submit to info@afaanz.org:
- Your contact details (name, institution, email address).
- Details of the AFDEN course you will be attending.
- A brief statement on why you are applying for this grant, including details of any support you will receive from your institution to attend.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.