Current Roles & Responsibilities

I am a Professor in Finance at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai. My current responsibilities include heading the CAMS-IITM Fintech Innovation Lab, coordinating the IITM Nodal Centre for GURUSETU under the National Initiative for Capacity Building of Faculty (NICBF), serving as Programme Coordinator for the Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership and Public Policy, and as Programme Co-coordinator for the MBA in Digital Maritime and Supply Chain.

Previous Leadership Positions

I have previously served as Head of the Department of Management Studies at IIT Madras for a three-year term. Before joining IIT Madras, I was the Director of the National Institute of Securities Markets, Mumbai.

Research & Academic Expertise

With over three decades of experience, my research and teaching interests span financial markets, financial modeling, corporate finance, and governance. I have been actively applying AI-based models to financial market prediction for more than 25 years. My recent research includes the development of a framework for unclaimed funds in banks and mutual funds, AI-based fraud prediction models, a Fintech Index, an ESG Index, carbon risk mitigation strategies, a robo-advisory model for investments, impact assessment of digital payments and banking, and credit risk prediction models for banks.

Industry Engagement & Policy Contributions

I maintain active engagement with industry and regularly conduct skill development programmes at various levels. Recently, I delivered a data analytics programme for senior accounts officers of the Government of Tamil Nadu. I also led the IIT Madras team in formulating the Vision Document for Tamil Nadu@100 in collaboration with CII, Chennai, during 2024–25.

CAMS-IITM Fintech Innovation Lab (CIFIL)

I established the CAMS IITM Fintech Innovation Lab with the objective of developing solutions for unresolved challenges in fintech applications, particularly in the banking and finance sector, while also nurturing and mentoring startups in the fintech domain.
🔗 https://cifil.iitm.ac.in/

GURUSETU – National Initiative for Capacity Building of Faculty (NICBF)

I coordinate the IITM Nodal Centre for GURUSETU, a national-level initiative funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, aimed at transforming the teaching landscape in higher education. This comprehensive faculty development platform offers structured, multilingual modules in key pedagogical areas, blending technology, inclusivity, and excellence. Our mission is to equip teachers with the knowledge, strategies, and tools needed to meet the evolving demands of modern education, empowering them to become adaptive, impactful, and learner-centric educators. Through expert-guided training aligned with NEP 2020, Gurusetu fosters a culture of continuous professional development, strengthening teaching outcomes and academic leadership across India.

Faculty Development Platform
🔗 https://gurusetu.iitm.ac.in/

Honours, Fellowships & Recognitions

• I am a distinguished alumnus of Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai (2024) and a rank holder of the University of Madras. 

• I have been recognised among the Top 100 Women in Finance in India in 2019 and 2020 by AIWMA. I am an Executive Endeavour Fellow of the Australian Government, a recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Lecturer Fellowship, and a recipient of the European Union Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.

•  I was honoured with a National Award by former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee for developing the best manufacturing policy draft for India at the FICCI and We Think for India (WTI) Forum. 

• I also hold the EXIM Bank Chair Professorship in Finance, conferred by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

International Teaching & Research Experience

My international teaching and research experience includes engagements with UPM Madrid, the University of Passau (Germany), Lagos Business School (Nigeria), QUT Brisbane, and San Diego State University (USA).

Awards

I was awarded the Best Researcher Award in Commerce by the K.P. Muraleedharan Endowment Trust, Calicut University.

Publications & Research

I have published extensively and have received several best research paper awards at both national and international levels. In 2020, I was awarded the Best Researcher Award in Commerce by the K.P. Muraleedharan Endowment Trust, Calicut University. My research contributions include financial market price discovery models, hybrid AI and Support Vector Machine-based prediction models for stock market trading and investing, models for testing information transmission across markets, policy implications of family and promoter-driven firm governance, and country-level determinants of FDI and cross-border acquisitions.

My work has appeared in reputed journals including the Pacific Basin Journal of Finance, Emerging Markets Review, Research in International Business and Finance, Neural Computing and Applications, Management Decision, International Journal of Banking, Accounting and Finance, International Journal of Emerging Markets, Decision, IIMB Management Review, and the Journal of Emerging Market Finance.