James P. Murtagh

James P. Murtagh is Professor of Finance and Director of the MBA program at Siena University's School of Business, where he has served since 2007 after previously holding positions as Department Chair and Associate Professor. His academic career includes faculty roles at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The Sage Colleges.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Finance, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• M.B.A. in Finance and Strategy, University of Northern Colorado
• B.S. in Engineering, United States Military Academy

Dr. Murtagh's research centers on international banking systems, capital market dynamics, dividend policy in IPO contexts, and entrepreneurial finance. His current work examines ESG integration during global crises and systemic banking vulnerabilities, building on decades of analysis of bank failure predictors and international risk transmission. He employs quantitative frameworks like ROE decomposition to dissect financial institution performance.

His publication history reveals evolving research trajectories: early work focused on international risk characteristics and bank mergers, mid-career studies analyzed crisis-era compensation structures and failure predictors, while recent scholarship investigates ESG-culture interactions and contemporary bank collapses. This progression demonstrates consistent engagement with real-world financial system challenges across geopolitical contexts.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Outstanding Service Award (Siena College School of Business, 2016)
• Outstanding Teaching Award (Siena College School of Business, 2011)
• Multiple Outstanding Faculty Awards from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1999, 2005)
• Best Paper Award at the 4th Global Finance Conference (1997)

Dr. Murtagh's teaching philosophy emphasizes 'mentorship and mutual respect,' particularly in his finance capstone course where students develop live case analyses using current events. He has extended this mentorship globally through executive programs in Russia, Ukraine, Korea, and China, while implementing innovative educational tools like online TVM reviews to enhance student performance in core finance concepts.