Harikumar Sankaran

Harikumar Sankaran is a Professor and Department Head of Finance at the College of Business, New Mexico State University (NMSU). He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Houston. His research and teaching focus on corporate finance, investments, CEO compensation, capital structure, corporate governance, and market information dynamics. He has taught previously at the University of Houston, University of Miami, and University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

His research explores topics such as executive compensation benchmarking, M&A dynamics, R&D investment decisions, leverage policies, and agency theory. Over 40 years of academic work have produced influential studies on topics like CEO overconfidence's impact on debt agency costs and the information content of central bank policy changes.

Dr. Sankaran’s work bridges theoretical finance models (e.g., Black-Litterman portfolio frameworks) with empirical analyses of real-world corporate decisions. His recent studies highlight the role of director networks in R&D strategies and institutional shareholder influence on executive pay. Though no awards are explicitly listed, his extensive publication record reflects sustained academic contributions.

His advising record is not detailed here, but his teaching responsibilities include corporate finance and investments courses. The College of Business is housed at NMSU’s Las Cruces campus, with a focus on student success and industry partnerships.