Julia Ortner

Dr Julia Ortner holds the Dr Wener Jackstädt Endowed Chair in Management Control & Accounting. In her current research in accounting, she focuses in particular on the design of organisational incentive systems and performance measurement, as well as on digitalisation trends in management accounting and their implications – for example, the impact of integrating AI-supported tools and processes on the motivation and performance of decision-makers.

Dr Ortner is also involved in interdisciplinary research. She regularly works at the interface with behavioural economics and, to some extent, at the interface with health care economics. For example, in a current research project she is investigating the design of incentive schemes for chief consultants. From 2017 to 2021, she was responsible for cost analyses and the health care economic evaluation of a prevention programme for liver cirrhosis as part of an externally funded project (the SEAL project). She is an associate researcher at theChair of Statistics and Econometrics held by Prof. Dr Reyn van Ewijk at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. In 2024, together with colleagues from the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU), she founded the ‘BAM – Bridging Accounting Research Methodologies’ network to promote cross-methodological exchange amongst junior researchers in the field of accounting. During her time at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Dr Ortner was an active member of the IPP – Interdisciplinary Public Policy research specialisation.

Julia Ortner studied Management (or Sciences de Gestion) as part of a German-French dual-degree programme at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and at the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense. She successfully completed her studies with a Diplom in Business Administration, as well as the French qualifications Licence and Maîtrise de Sciences de Gestion.

Following her studies, she worked as a research assistant at theChair of Controlling held by Prof. Dr Louis Velthuis at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and completed her doctoral studies on the topic ‘Designing incentive-compatible remuneration systems for the Executive Board and Supervisory Board’ in February 2016, graduating summa cum laude. She then worked as a doctoral student at the Chairs of Statistics and Econometrics under Prof. Dr Reyn van Ewijk and of Controlling under Prof. Dr Louis Velthuis at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. During this period (2017 to 2021), she conducted research as part of an externally funded project on the prevention of liver cirrhosis (the SEAL project), where she was responsible for cost analyses and health care economics evaluation. She subsequently undertook research and taught as a Senior Lecturer at the Chair of Controlling at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, specialising in particular in the field of controlling. Since October 2026, she has held the Dr Werner Jackstädt Endowed Chair in Management Control & Accounting at the University of Witten/Herdecke.

To the chair