Gaining Fresh Perspectives at Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
By Chen Yanduo, SMU PhD in Accounting
As a fourth-year PhD in accounting student at Singapore Management University, I recently completed a three-month research visit to Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, hosted by Professor of Accounting and Economics Laurence van Lent.
As a visiting PhD student, the first thing which struck me was how strong the peer support culture was in the Frankfurt School PhD community. Fifth-year students, fresh off the job market, regularly sit with second-years preparing for qualifying exams to talk through research ideas. Their PhD brownbag seminars complement this by creating a platform for preliminary work to be discussed openly and constructively. While they are different forms of support, together, they gave me a fresh perspective of what a PhD community can look like.
During my stay, I engaged with faculty and doctoral students at Frankfurt School as well as at Goethe University Frankfurt, another leading institution in business research. These conversations exposed me to different research cultures and ways of approaching academic questions. In one brownbag seminar, I presented my working paper examining whether the United States uses access to its consumer market as a geo-economic tool. The feedback I received helped sharpen my project in ways I would not have achieved on my own — a reminder that some of the most valuable comments often come from outside one’s usual circle.
The visit also reinforced how ideas grow stronger when they are challenged from diverse perspectives. Engaging with researchers in a different academic environment pushed me to think harder about the fundamentals of accounting research: what is the core accounting question being addressed? That kind of perspective is especially valuable when gained through intellectual exchange with different academic communities. Conversations in Frankfurt ultimately strengthened my dissertation and broadened the way I think about my research.
Beyond the academic, simply living in Frankfurt was itself a meaningful experience. Unlike the strong hawker culture in Singapore, there were few food options nearby, which meant that I cooked for myself in these three months far more than I had in years. Interestingly, this gave my stay an alternative daily routine beyond the academic schedule. Adapting to a new city and academic environment pushed me to become more independent, confident, and open-minded. It reminded me that growth often happens in unfamiliar settings, especially when we step outside our comfort zones.
I realise the visit also deepened my appreciation for SMU. Distance has a way of making us seek out the familiar. It occurred to me that the strong PhD community at Frankfurt appealed to me as it echoed the strength of our own SMU peer community. Now that I am back at SMU, I am even more appreciative of our supportive environment shaped by my peers, the faculty and staff.
I am grateful to my remarkably thoughtful host, Professor van Lent, and the Frankfurt School, for their warm hospitality and would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout this journey.
Finally, I am also deeply thankful to SMU for providing me with the valuable opportunity to experience the wonderful city of Frankfurt and the warm and intellectually generous research environment at Frankfurt School.