Rong (Irene) Zhong
Associate Professor
Department of Accounting
Contact
- Building & Room:
- UH 2313
- Address:
- 601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607
Email:
CV Link:
Related Sites:
About
Rong (Irene) Zhong, PhD is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Business Administration and an Honors College Faculty Fellow. Her research investigates the economic consequences of financial reporting comparability, global convergence of accounting standards, information environments, and the strategic dynamics between corporate management and employees. Her scholarship routinely intersects capital markets and macro-financial resilience, examining how corporate transparency drives knowledge accumulation and protects firms against systemic fiscal shocks.
Dr. Zhong joined the UIC faculty in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2025. Her research is widely published in top-tier financial accounting and management journals, including the Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Accounting Review, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Prior to her academic career, she spent six years as a Senior Analyst, Internal Auditor, and Accountant for the China Construction Bank, where she led major internal control, payment optimization, and audit system data developments. She holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MS in Accounting from California State University, Fullerton, an MBA from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and a BS in Environmental Engineering from Sichuan University.
Selected Publications
- Tseng, K., and Zhong, R.I “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Financial Reporting Comparability and Knowledge Accumulation.” Journal of Accounting and Economics (Forthcoming)
- Guo, R. J., and Zhong, R. I. “Do Managers Learn from Analysts about Investing? Evidence from Internal Capital Allocation.” The Accounting Review, Volume 98, Issue 2
- Khurana, I. K., and Zhong, R. I. “Management-Employee Alliance and Earnings Opacity.” Contemporary Accounting Research, 2023, 0823-9150
- Gao, F., and Zhong, R. I. “Information Environment and Interfirm Alliance.” Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 2023, Volume 60, 643-677
- Khurana, I. K., and Zhong, R. I. “Bank Audit Regulations and Reporting Quality.” Journal of International Accounting Research, 2021, Vol 20, Issue 3
- Zhong, R. I. “Transparency and Firm Innovation (dissertation paper).” Journal of Accounting and Economics, 2018, Vol 66, Issue 1
Notable Honors
2024, Best Paper Award Semifinalist, Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meeting
2023, Best Reviewer Award, Journal of International Accounting Research
2023-2024, Dean’s Summer Research Grant Award, UIC College of Business Administration
2009-2014, Trulaske College of Business Fellowship, University of Missouri-Columbia
Education
PhD - University of Missouri, Columbia
MS - California State University, Fullerton
MBA - Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China
BS Environmental Engineering - Sichuan University, China