Dr Helen Zhang

Qualifications:

PhD in Accounting and Finance

Position:

Senior lectuer in Accounting and Finance

Department:

Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)

Telephone:

+441173284269

Email:

Helen.Zhang@uwe.ac.uk

About me

I am a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at UWE Bristol and Programme Leader for the Accounting & Finance Top-Up Programme and the Business Management with Accounting & Finance Top-Up Programme. I hold a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Exeter Business School.

Prior to joining UWE Bristol, I held an academic position at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University (XJTLU) 

My research focuses primarily on SME finance, entrepreneurship, access to finance, financial decision-making and business growth. I am particularly interested in how financial advice, accounting practices, access to finance and financial intermediaries shape SME financing decisions and business development.

Alongside my SME finance research, I have growing interests in AI-enabled financial education, digital innovation in accounting and finance, and the use of technology to support SME owners, employees and wider communities in developing financial knowledge and decision-making skills.

I am actively involved in externally funded and interdisciplinary research and knowledge-exchange projects. Current and recent projects include an Innovate UK-funded project involving interdisciplinary research on cybersecurity and ransomware detection, and the HEIF-funded Work Ready Finance project, which develops a gamified, AI-supported platform for financial and accounting education.

My wider research interests include:

SME finance and access to finance

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance

Financial advice, intermediaries and SME decision-making

Small business growth and financial management

AI and digital innovation in accounting and finance

Financial education, financial capability and employability

Investment decision-making and risk management

Tax incentives and international investment

I am keen to develop new research collaborations, externally funded projects and knowledge-exchange partnerships, particularly with researchers and organisations working in SME finance, entrepreneurship, financial capability, AI-enabled education, fintech and digital transformation.

My teaching interests include accounting and finance education, investment and financial markets, entrepreneurial finance, and technology-enhanced learning. I lead the modules Accounting for Managers and Market Analysis for Private Investors, where I integrate applied and experiential learning into teaching. 

I also welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in research related to SME finance, entrepreneurial finance, AI in accounting and finance, and digital or technology-enhanced financial education.

Funding and Research Projects

Innovate UK – 2026
Interdisciplinary research project on cybersecurity and ransomware detection, involving collaboration between accounting, business and technology researchers.

Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), UWE Bristol – 2025–26

Work Ready Finance – Translating Financial Expertise using a Gamified AI Platform
A knowledge-exchange project using AI-supported and gamified learning to improve financial capability, employability and access to accounting and finance education.

Exeternal roles:

• External Examiner, Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University

• External Examiner, Ysgol Fusnes / Business School

Area of expertise

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance, stock market investment and performance, AI-enabled financial education

Publications

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