Rate My Professor Akihiro Omura

Dr Akihiro Omura serves as a Senior Lecturer in Finance within the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics at Griffith Business School, Griffith University. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Finance from Griffith University in 2017, having commenced his doctoral studies in 2013. Before entering academia, Omura worked as an Equity Analyst in the Equity Research Department at SMBC Nikko Securities in Japan. His academic career includes positions as Lecturer at Griffith University from 2013 to 2018, Assistant Course Coordinator at the University of Southern Queensland in 2015-2016, and Lecturer at Meiji University School of Business Administration since 2018, where he teaches postgraduate courses in Corporate Finance and Investments. He is also affiliated with the Griffith Asia Institute and the Centre for Personal Finance and Superannuation.

Omura's research focuses on responsible investing, climate finance, commodity economics, energy resources, and asset pricing. With over 629 citations and an h-index of 12 as per Google Scholar, his scholarship has significant impact in the field. Notable publications include "Does responsible investing pay during economic downturns: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic" published in Finance Research Letters in 2021 (219 citations), "Geopolitics and rare earth metals" in the European Journal of Political Economy in 2023 (113 citations), "Does natural gas volatility affect Bitcoin volatility? Evidence from the HAR-RV model" in Applied Economics in 2024, "An industry-guided review of responsible investing: Bridging the divide between academia and industry" in 2022, "Love thy neighbour: Evidence from capital structure decisions" in Accounting & Finance in 2023, and "Steel scrap and equity market in Japan" in Resources Policy in 2016. His research explores topics such as the resilience of ESG investments during crises, geopolitical influences on critical minerals, volatility spillovers between energy commodities and cryptocurrencies, and peer effects in corporate finance decisions. Additionally, Omura mentors student teams, contributing to their successes including a global top 10 placement at Harvard's premier finance challenge in 2025 and the Queensland championship in the CFA Institute Research Challenge in 2025.