CASIF postgraduate researcher wins Best Paper Award at international doctoral symposium

Leeds delegation represents Accounting and Finance at the 19th IAFDS in Sardinia

Fangqi Guo, a postgraduate researcher from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance (CASIF), has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the 19th International Accounting and Finance Doctoral Symposium (IAFDS), held in Sardinia from 14th to 16th June 2026. Fangqi is co-supervised by Professor Kevin Keasey (University of Leeds) and Professor Bin Xu (University of Reading).

The award was presented at this year’s IAFDS, co-organised by the University of Leeds and the University of Cagliari and hosted at the University of Cagliari, in the beautiful island of Sardinia. The symposium is an established event in the accounting and finance doctoral calendar, bringing together early-career researchers from across Europe and beyond to present work in progress and receive feedback from discussants and senior academics in the field.

Fangqi was part of a wider Leeds delegation at the symposium, which also included postgraduate researchers Bipasha Barua and Wen Yang, alongside Professors Kostas Bozos, Shima Amini, and Danilo Mascia from the Accounting and Finance Department. Over the three days of the symposium, the Leeds PGRs presented their research and engaged with peers and academics from partner institutions, reflecting the breadth and quality of doctoral research within the department.

Congratulations to Fangqi on this achievement, and well done to Bipasha and Wen for representing Leeds at this year’s symposium. Participation in international events such as IAFDS forms an important part of doctoral training within the Business School, giving researchers early exposure to international academic networks and feedback from across the field.