About
Dr. Clara Zhou is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Department of Applied Finance, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University. She holds a PhD in Finance from The University of Queensland and has held visiting appointments at institutions including the University of Georgia and Cornell University. Her research focuses on sustainable finance, corporate finance, capital markets, and the intersection of climate finance with policy.
Dr. Zhou teaches courses such as Environmental Finance (AFIN8010) and Corporate Finance (AFIN 808). She actively supervises PhD candidates in topics like machine learning in finance, debt covenants, and regulatory reporting. Her editorial roles include Associate Editor of the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal and Deputy Editor of Accounting and Finance.
Her research has addressed critical issues like corporate debt structures, climate litigation risks, and greenwashing detection. Recent projects include AI-enhanced risk assessment and rural climate resilience studies. She has been awarded multiple prizes, including the 2023 International CSR Research Forum Best Paper Award and Excellence in Research (Early Career).
Dr. Zhou serves on academic committees such as the Macquarie Business School Faculty Board and Gender Equity Committee. She also advises Westpac’s training programs and contributes to policy discussions on sustainable finance regulations.
