Aramco Internal Audit Dissertation Scholarship Recipients
Prior to 2025, the award was named the Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Grant.
2025 Recipients
Nicolás Lagos, Rutgers-Newark University
Dissertation Title: "Exploring the challenges in the use of Artificial Intelligence for detecting public corruption: an analysis from public auditing"
Ricardo Martinez Rivera, CIA, Paris School of Business
Dissertation Title: "Sustainability, the Three Line Risk Model, and Financial Performance: Assessing the mediating role of integrated audit and risk management in sustainability, and its implications for long-term financial performance"
2023 Recipients
Xiaoxing Huo, University of Pretoria
Dissertation Title: "Professional Identity of Internal Auditors in South Africa"
Jennifer Puccia, Michigan State University
Dissertation Title: "The Effect of Audit Committee Internal Audit Expertise on Financial Reporting and Operating Performance"
2022 Recipients
Xiaobing Li, The University of Scranton
Dissertation Title: “Effects of Management Training Ground and Internal Audit Service Type on External Auditors’ Reliance on Internal Auditors’ Work”
Lisa Haylon, The University of Scranton
Dissertation Title: "An Investigation of the Tactics Used to Create Collusive Fraud Teams"
2021 Recipients
Gregory Kogan, The University of Scranton
Dissertation Title: “RPA in Accounting Risk and Internal Control Governance: Insights from RPA Program Managers”
2020 Recipients
Ahmed Shawky Mohammed, Durham University Business School, UK and Emlyon Business School, France
Dissertation Title: “Mitigating Greenwashing: The Role of Audit Committees and Internal Audits in ESG Reporting Assurance”
2019 Recipients
Lily Bi, University of South Florida
Dissertation Title: “The Complexity of Corporate Governance and Its Impact on Internal Audit Independence”
Joy Chacko, The University of Scranton
Dissertation Title: “The Effects of Internal Audit Management Training Ground and Reporting Relationships on Internal Auditor’s Judgments”
2018 Recipients
Sebastian Piroro, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics- Antwerp, Belgium
Dissertation Title: “Internal Controls Disclosure and nonprofit organizations information environment: Evidence from Canadian Nonprofits”
2017 Recipients
Jacob Jaggi, University of Arizona
Dissertation Title: “The Audit Committee’s Relationship with the Internal Audit Function: Evidence from Audit Committee Charters”
Megan Seymore, MBA, CPA, University of North Texas
Dissertation Title: “The Use of Data Analytics in Internal Audit to Improve Decision-Making: An Investigation of Data Visualizations and Data Source”
2016 Recipients
Nishaal Prasad, The University of Auckland Business School
Dissertation Title: “Exploration of the Effectiveness of the Internal Audit Function in New Zealand”
2015 Recipients
Jesus Rodolfo Jimenez Andrade, Case Western Reserve University
Dissertation Title: “Internal Controls for External Risks: Reputational Control Theory”
2014 Recipients
Porschia Nkansa, University of Memphis
Dissertation Title: “Professional Skepticism and Fraud Risk Assessment: An Internal Auditing Perspective”
2013 Recipients
Ian Burt, University of Waterloo (Ontario)
Dissertation Title: “The Effect of the Internal Auditor’s Dual Identities on the Ability to Identify and Assess Internal Control Weaknesses”
Matthew Ege, University of Texas at Austin
Dissertation Title: “Does Internal Audit Function Quality Deter Management Misconduct?”
2012 Recipients
Sylvie Harbour, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada
Dissertation Title: “The Role of Internal Audit in the Corporate Governance Process”
2011 Recipients
George C. Gonzalez, University of Pittsburgh
Dissertation Title: “When Is Computerized Continuous Auditing Less Effective at Deterring Fraud?”
Douglas M. Boyle, Kennesaw State University
Dissertation Title: “The Effects of Internal Audit Report Type and Reporting Relationship on Internal Auditors’ Judgments”
2010 Recipients
Jared Soileau, University of Memphis
Dissertation Title: “ERM: Adoption, Performance Benefits, and Disclosure Effect”
2009 Recipients
Kasey Martin, University of Texas at San Antonio
Dissertation Title: “Characteristics of Internal Audits and Fraud Detection”
2008 Recipients
Cynthia P. Guthrie, CPA, MBA, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business
Dissertation Title: “The Effects of Reputation Threat and Whistle-Blowing Report Source on Chief Audit Executives’ Investigation Decisions”
2007 Recipients
Margaret Christ, CIA, CPIM, University of Texas at Austin
Dissertation Title: “Do Controls Cause a False Sense of Security?: Biased Residual Risk Assessment and Unwarranted Risk-taking Due to Over-reliance on Control Systems”
2005 Recipients
Andreas Koutoupis, Panteios University of Social & Political Sciences
Dissertation Title: “Corporate Governance and Internal Auditing in Greece”
Jim Irving, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dissertation Title: “The Economic Effects of Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002”
2004 Recipients
Richard R. Clune Jr., Case Western Reserve University
Dissertation Title: “The Impact of Section 404 on Internal Auditing”
Anelia Grigorova, University of Economics-Varna, Bulgaria
Dissertation Title: “Internal Control Systems in Bulgarian Banking Corporations”
More about the Aramco Internal Audit Dissertation Scholarship