Noel has over 30 years of experience in accounting and auditing, as a practitioner, researchers and educator. He is a keen advocate for realising the benefits of research for improving audit and assurance practice. He currently serves as the academic board member  of the Australian Government's Auditing and Assurance Standards Board as well as serving on Australian and International standard setting advisory committees. Noel's focus on impactful research is evidenced in publications in leading international journals including; Accounting Organizations and Society, Contemporary Accounting Research, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Abacus, Accounting and Finance, and International Journal of Auditing. He is regularly invited to present at national and international professional and academic conferences and more broadly promotes effective collaboration between practice and academia in his capacity as the School's Director of Research.

In addition to UNSW Sydney, Noel has held academic positions at Macquarie University, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Fudan University and the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Noel's research focuses on ways in which to improve the quality of auditor judgments and decisions and, in doing so, improve audit quality. He has a particular interest in auditor professional scepticism and his research is supported by government and industry administered research grants, including a current ARC Discovery Grant.