Profile

Dr Zhichao (April) Li is a Lecturer in Accounting in Newcastle University Business School. She is an ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) affiliate. She obtained her PhD in Accounting from Durham University. Her paper has been published in prestigious international journals, such as Journal of Corporate Finance, Financial Review, International Review of Financial Analysis, and Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money. She has also published several book chapters with world-renowned publishers and organizations, including Springer, World Scientific, and the Asian Development Bank. Her works have won the Best Full Paper Award in the UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) 2025 Conference, the Best-in-Track paper award at the 35th annual conference of the Academy of Finance, and the best student paper award at the 8th Indonesian Finance Association International Conference “Capital Market and Securities Digital Transformation: the Future and Challenges of Digital Assets” in conjunction with 45th Indonesia Capital Market Anniversary.

April's research interests range from market-based accounting to corporate finance, with a current research focus on regulation, corporate reporting and disclosure, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial analysts’ behaviours. She is doing innovative works in a multicultural setting with collaborators from various counties, including UK, China, and U.S. 

April's teaching interests focus on a wide range of areas in accounting, including financial accounting, managerial accounting, corporate governance, and auditing. Her teaching philosophy is centred around developing the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills of students. She is dedicated to providing high-quality educational experiences to her students and preparing them for success in their future careers.

• Articles

  • He G, Li A, Lin T. Does Digitalization Imply Uncertainty About the Future Prospects of a Firm? Evidence From Analyst Forecast Accuracy. Financial Review 2026, 61(1), 59-91.
  • He G, Li Z, Yu L, Zhou Z. Does commercial reform embracing digital technologies mitigate stock price crash risk?. Journal of Corporate Finance 2025, 91, 102741.
  • He G, Li Z, Shen D. How to Make Long-Term Investments in a Stock Market? A Generic Strategy for Investors. Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies 2024, 27(1), 2450002.
  • He G, Li A. Does media coverage of firms' environment, social, and governance (ESG) incidents affect analyst coverage and forecasts? A risk perspective. International Review of Financial Analysis 2024, 94, 103289.
  • He G, Sun Y, Li Z. Does analysts’ industrial concentration affect the quality of their forecasts?. Financial Markets and Portfolio Management 2024, 38, 37-91.
  • He G, Li Z, Yu L, Zhou Z. Contribution to poverty alleviation: A waste or benefit for corporate financing?. Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money 2023, 89, 101875.

• Book Chapters

  • He G, Li A. Advancing Accounting Education: The Role of AI Technologies. In: Trinh, V. Q.; Pham, T. N, ed. The Future of Accounting and Finance. Sustainable Finance. Springer, Cham, 2026, pp.381-398.
  • He G, Li Z, Shen D. An Introductory Note on the Difference-in-Differences and Regression Discontinuity Design for the Accounting and Finance Research. In: Cheng-Few Lee; Alice C. Lee; John C. Lee, ed. Handbook of Financial Econometrics, Statistics, Technology, and Risk Management. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd, 2025, pp.143-174.
  • He G, Li A. The Roles of Financial Analysts in the Stock Market. In: Cheng-Few Lee; Alice C. Lee; John C. Lee, ed. Handbook of Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management, and Financial Derivatives. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd, 2024, pp.2293-2308.
  • He G, Li Z, Slack R. The economic consequences of corporate social irresponsibility and policy implications. In: Fariborz Moshirian; Cyn-Young Park, ed. Climate Change and Climate Finance: Current Experience and Future Directions. Asian Development Bank, 2023, pp.60-88.
  • He G, Li A, Shen D. The Role of Earnings Management in Equity Valuation. In: Lee, CF.; Lee, A.C, ed. Encyclopedia of Finance. Springer, Cham, 2022, pp.2061-2094.