Sonia Brandon

Role: Postgraduate Admissions and Undergraduate Tutor Team.
Research and subject interests: Audit and assurance and financial analysis.

'I left Portsmouth in 2001 after doing both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree within the Department. I then started my ACCA exams whilst working as a business analyst. However, I loved the theoretical aspect of my studies and when I had an opportunity to come back to Portsmouth as a lecturer, I jumped at the chance.

My favourite part of the job is the interaction with students. We all have a small personal tutor group of students, who we look after for the first two years. Then in the final year the students are given a dissertation supervisor, who advises and guides them though their level three project.'

Alan Graham

Role: First Year Tutor – Accounting and Finance degrees.
Research and subject interests: Accountancy education, the developing role of the finance professional and financial reporting.

'People tend to think that accountancy is just about numbers and to a point that's right, you do need to be numerate. But that is only half the story. The key to being a good accountant is communication. The ability to turn numbers into the story of a business and to get the message across.

It's a very friendly place. The city is great from a student's perspective, it feels vibrant, lively, all the things a university city should be.

To do well it helps if you are inquisitive. Ask questions in seminars, question the perceived wisdom, read around the subject.'

Paraskevas Pagas

Role: Undergraduate International Tutor.
Research and subject interests: Behaviour of financial markets, asset pricing models, stock market volatility and anomalies.

'My research interest is behavioural finance, which is the study of financial decision making with the help of concepts borrowed from the social sciences, psychology, sociology etc. The traditional perspective is to ask what a rational human being would do, but in behavioural finance we ask how emotions and cognitive behaviour affect an investor's decision-making processes. For me it's fascinating in its own right, but if we know that the stock markets are often irrational we can spot the market anomalies which in turn lead to the best investment opportunities.'

Ian Toon

Role: Accounting and Finance Undergraduate Admissions Tutor and Third-year Tutor.
Research and subject interests: The developing role of the finance professional and strategic management accounting.

'For me accounting is fascinating - it is where economic theory, psychology, sociology and business savvy meet in real life. Even if you don't want to be an accountant, a finance degree has real value, it enables you to see business as an economic model. Many of the sharpest business minds I have met have an accounting background.

My advice for the new student is to engage, if you do your reading and work hard from the start you will find that this subject is interesting, and if you are interested you will understand, and if you understand you will do well.'

Richard Trafford

Role: Senior Lecturer in Forensic Accounting.
Research and subject interests: Business valuation, financial crime and financial markets.

'As an accountant you are involved with every aspect of business and because of that, you are ideally suited to move on into senior positions. I recently read an article that said that over 40 per cent of chief executives in the FTSE 100 have a financial background.

The most popular unit I teach on is Business Financial Crime. Not only is it practical for both managers and auditors, but the unit asks some really interesting questions which are worth studying in their own right. Why do people commit fraud? Is there a gender bias? How can organisations detect financial crime?'

Caroline Willet

Role: Course Director Undergraduate Accounting and Finance degrees.
Research and subject interests: Accountancy education, developments within the accounting profession and strategic management accounting.

'I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do when I left university, so accountancy seemed like the ideal choice because it offers so many different opportunities. You can specialise in a particular field, maybe audit or consultancy, or use your finance skills to move into a general management role.

Accountancy is vital to any economic activity. It underpins everything. The way organisations are structured, the way organisations plan and control performance, all requires accounting information.

I teach on it so maybe I am biased, but my favourite unit is Accounting for Strategic Management. I think this gets to the heart of what accountants can and should be contributing to business. It helps us understand how we can evaluate performance and perhaps more importantly, it examines how accountants can add value to the modern organisation.'