Dr. Vanitha Ragunathan serves as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Business at the University of Queensland, within the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. She earned a Bachelor of Science from La Trobe University, a Masters (Coursework) from RMIT University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from RMIT University. Her academic career at UQ includes contributions to the Finance Discipline, where she coordinates and lectures in advanced finance courses such as FINM4411 and FINM3403, focusing on topics in corporate finance and financial management.

Ragunathan's research specializes in corporate finance, with expertise in areas including board activities, credit ratings, auditor reporting, earnings management, and market integrations. She has secured competitive funding through several grants, notably ARC Discovery Projects: 'What Do Boards Do? The Measurement of Board Activity, its Impact on Firm Valuation and Board Responses to the Financial Crisis' (2012–2014, administered by University of New South Wales) and 'Quantification issues in corporate valuation, the cost of capital, and optimal capital structure' (2003–2005). Additional support came from UQ Early Career Researcher Grant for 'The Exchange Rate Exposure of Australian Firms' (2003–2004) and UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund for 'How strong are country effects in emerging markets?' (1999). Her publications appear in prestigious journals, including 'Death by committee? An analysis of corporate board (sub-) committees' (Journal of Financial Economics, 2021, with R.B. Adams and R. Tumarkin), 'Do analysts and their employers value access to management? Evidence from earnings conference call participation' (Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 2021, with L. Cen et al.), 'Lehman sisters' (FIRN Research Paper, 2015, with R.B. Adams), 'The determinants of credit ratings: Australian evidence' (Australian Journal of Management, 2006, with S. Gray and A. Mirkovic), 'Auditor reporting and earnings management: Some additional evidence' (Accounting & Finance, 2008, with K. Herbohn), 'Effect of credit rating changes on Australian stock returns' (Accounting & Finance, 2006, with E. Choy and S. Gray), and 'The horse has bolted: revisiting the market reaction to going concern modifications of audit reports' (Accounting & Finance, 2007, with K. Herbohn and R. Garsden). These works demonstrate her influence in corporate finance and related fields. She is available for higher degree research supervision.

Professional Email: v.ragunathan@business.uq.edu.au