Portrait image for Beatrice Michaeli

Beatrice Michaeli

Associate Professor of Accounting
“I aspire to present the world in a neat abstract model that allows me to address important practical problems and provide useful recommendations.”
Areas of Expertise:
  • Financial Reporting
  • Incentives and Contracting
  • Performance Measurement
About
 

Biography

Beatrice Michaeli joined the UCLA Anderson faculty in 2014 after completing a Ph.D. and an M.Phil. in accounting at Columbia Business School. Her research addresses analytical models in the areas of financial reporting, voluntary disclosure, performance measurement, incentives and contracting. She says: “I aspire to present the world in a neat abstract model that allows me to address important practical problems and provide useful recommendations to firms and regulators.”

Bulgarian-born and raised in a family of judges and lawyers, Michaeli initially pursued a law degree in Bulgaria, followed by an advanced law degree in Israel, where she learned Hebrew in six months and embarked on a career in prosecution of white collar crimes. A change of heart led her to pursue an advanced degree in business administration, with finance and accounting as major interests. A serendipitous teaching invitation made her realize she enjoyed academia, and she accepted the offer to join the faculty of Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel’s first private university, teaching undergraduate accounting and corporate finance classes. She felt her natural path from there was to pursue a doctoral degree in order to focus on academic research and teaching. Today, she continues to enjoy academia and says she "wouldn't live her life any other way."

At UCLA, Michaeli teaches the MBA class "Corporate Decision Making and Incentives." Whereas her research hinges on abstract analytical models, in the classroom she draws from concrete case studies. “My teaching is very hands-on,” she says.“ I encourage students to observe a problematic situation and think of a solution. Sometimes there’s not one super solution; students need to consider under what circumstances one or another specific solution is better. At the very least, I expect them to learn to ask the right questions, to be critical of the default practices that are often applied in corporations, and to be aware of how to make better decisions.”

In her free time, Michaeli likes to travel, swim, run and practice yoga.

Education

Ph.D. Accounting, Columbia Business School

M.Phil. Accounting, Columbia Business School

MBA Accounting and Finance, Tel-Aviv University

LLM, Law, Tel-Aviv University

LLB&LLM, Law, Cyril and Methodius University

 

Publications

For a link to publications click here.

 

Working Papers and Works in Progress

For a link to working papers and works in progress click here



 

Recognition

2018: Fink Center research grant, University of California, Los Angeles
2016: Research award, University of California, Los Angeles
2015: Faculty career development award, University of California, Los Angeles
2009-2014: Doctoral fellowship, Columbia University
2012: Doctoral seminar fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2009: Outstanding teaching award (TA), University of Chicago
2005: Ariel Rozen-Zvi research excellence award, Tel Aviv University