Biography
Professor Sumudu Watugala is an assistant professor of finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Her research spans topics in investments, financial intermediation, international finance, asset management, and climate finance. Her papers have been accepted for publication by the top journals in finance including the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Review of Financial Studies.
She obtained her doctoral degree in financial economics from the University of Oxford. She received two bachelor’s degrees—in computer science and engineering and in management science (finance)—and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before joining the faculty at Indiana University, Dr. Watugala was a faculty member at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.
Prior to joining academia, she worked in the hedge fund sector, specializing in volatility arbitrage and derivatives trading. Dr. Watugala has conducted research at the Office of Financial Research in the US Department of the Treasury and the Office of the Chief Economist in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on topics related to financial intermediaries, market frictions, and financial stability. Her research is informed by her work in policy and industry and a global perspective driven by her lived experience and familial ties in the United States, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, England, and Australia.
Research Interests
Financial intermediaries, investments, international finance, asset management, climate finance, emerging markets, and commodities.