Rate My Professor Emma Zhang

Emma Zhang is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance at Monash Business School, Monash University. She completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales and joined Monash University as a Lecturer in Finance in 2017, progressing to her current role. Her research specializations include corporate governance, corporate finance, and behavioural finance, with particular focus on board of directors and corporate restructuring.

Zhang's publications appear in top-tier journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Banking and Finance, Financial Management, and The British Accounting Review. Key works include 'How valuable are independent directors? Evidence from external distractions' (with Ronald Masulis, 2019, Journal of Financial Economics; 288 citations), 'Should independent directors have term limits? The role of experience in corporate governance' (with Ying Dou and Sidharth Sahgal, 2015, Financial Management; 143 citations), 'Practice makes progress: evidence from divestitures' (with Mark Humphery-Jenner and Ronan Powell, 2019, Journal of Banking and Finance; 34 citations), 'Why do directors join poorly performing firms?' (with Ying Dou, 2022, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis), and 'Auditor distraction: an unintended consequence of M&As' (with Ying Dou, 2025, The British Accounting Review). Her research has been presented at major conferences, including the American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Northern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Financial Intermediation Research Society Annual Conference, and China International Conference in Finance. It has been cited by the Financial Times, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, European Corporate Governance Institute, Cambridge Business School Website, Australian Institute of Company Directors, BusinessThink UNSW, and Monash Impact.

Zhang has received the Best Paper Award at the 2016 Auckland Finance Meeting Doctoral Symposium and the Best Paper Presentation in Finance at the 29th PhD Conference of Business and Economics.