Robert Bloomfield

Robert Bloomfield is the Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Management and Professor of Accounting at the Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management. In addition to his responsibilities as an educator and regular contributor to such prestigious accounting and finance journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Accounting Research, Professor Bloomfield is also an avid developer of game-like financial market simulation software. In December of 2006, Professor Bloomfield began working with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Research Initiative division to identify methods for testing the macroeconomic effects of financial reporting regulations. It was Professor Bloomfield’s extensive previous experience in the use of simulation software to study the various effects of regulatory policies that ultimately brought his attention to the serious study of virtual worlds as natural economic simulations.

Metanomics

In September of 2007, Professor Bloomfield unveiled his new talk show, Metanomics, to TechCrunch. The concept of the show proposed an innovative goal – to discuss and dissect business and policy matters in the “Metaverse” of virtual worlds. Metanomics is primarily aired in the virtual world of Second Life; however, its scope is not limited to a single virtual realm and Professor Bloomfield is known to take the show to other worlds, such as Active Worlds, There, and Kaneva.

Press Mentions

Professor Bloomfield is also an active contributor to the news sources Terra Nova, an academic website relating to the study of virtual worlds, Technology Review, and the Canadian National Post. Professor Bloomfield has been a guest speaker on the topic of virtual worlds for National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, and WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show. His thoughts on the use of Second Life as a learning tool for economic decision making in the real world received a mention in Business Week. Additionally, Professor Bloomfield's opinion on financial disclosure after Second Life's banking heist earned him another quote in Business Week. His study of the banking crisis in Second Life that resulted in the real losses of almost one million U.S. dollars have been quoted in Wired, Technology Review, the Sydney Morning Herald , and the Los Angeles Times. He has also been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Professor Bloomfield can often be found in the world of Second Life under a name fitting to his endeavors, Beyers Sellers.