Joana Cardoso Fontes

Country of origin: Portugal

Visiting Researcher, LUMS

After doing my BSc in Business Management in Universidade Católica Portugesa, Portugal, I worked for five years, first as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Portugal, and then as a financial controller in Sonaecom, Portugal. Having already some professional experience, I thought it was time to embrace the challenge that I had had in mind since I left university and to embark on a career in academia.

I first did an MBA at EGP-UPBS, Portugal where I met Professor Jorge Farinha, who had previously done his PhD at LUMS and who suggested to me that I should cross borders and start my career as a researcher at Lancaster University.
 
Here at Lancaster, the MRes in Accounting was the first stage of my PhD. During this first year I had the opportunity to be supervised by Professor Ken Peasnell, a distinguished Professor of Accounting, with whom I will continue to work during my PhD.

I also had the chance to work and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds, which I found very important for broadening my horizons. The integration in Lancaster, and especially in LUMS, was quite easy, particularly due to the great support given by the teachers, departmental staff and friends I met during the MRes.

I completed my PhD in 2014 and am now a Visiting Resercher at Lancaster University Management School.