Prof Ralf Zurbrugg
Professor of Finance
School of Accounting and Finance
College of Business and Law
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Ralf Zurbruegg is a Professor of Finance and Business Analytics with over 25 years’ experience building bridges between academia, industry, and diverse communities. He serves on VC and fund advisory boards with a focus on sustainable finance and is passionate about advancing business education and financial literacy for underrepresented and marginalized groups. His research is interdisciplinary in nature, focusing on addressing societal challenges, crossing over business fields and science.
For more information: www.linkedln.com/in/ralf-zurbrugg/
Research Funding
Ralf has led major consulting and research projects with government departments, industry, and community organizations. He is the recipient of six ARC grants, a chief investigator in a Trailbrazer program (Defence) and has performed a wide variety of contract research for multiple organisations, including the Financial Services Council of Australia, the Australian Taxation Office, ANZ Bank, Vanguard, Apostle Funds Management, ABP Pension Fund (Netherlands), Pearl Insurance (U.K.), Swiss RE:, the Self-Managed Superannuation Fund Association, HomeStart, CPA Australia, Department of Agriculture, Wter and the Environment, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Department of Treasury and Finance, The Dieri Aboriginal Corporation, The World Bank Group, Chartered Financial Analysts Institute (Singapore) and the Shenzen Provincial Government (China) to name a few.
Research Publications
Ralf's research is published in leading Financial Times (FT50) academic journals and other outlets, across a number of disciplines. These include Review of Finance, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Marketing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Banking and Finance and Journal of Business Finance and Accounting. He serves as an associate editor for a number of journals as well as being the co-founding editor of the International Journal of Managerial Finance.
Qualifications
After graduating with a degree in monetary economics from the London School of Economics, Ralf completed a Masters and then a PhD in financial econometrics from Manchester Business School. Ralf also holds a Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Studies from the University of New South Wales.Research Funding and Publications
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| London School of Economics | United Kingdom | BSc (Econ) | |
| Manchester Business School | United Kingdom | MSc | |
| Manchester Business School | United Kingdom | PhD |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | GradCertHEd | University of New South Wales | - |
- ABP Pension Fund. Development of Evolutionary Computation Processes to aid in Stock Selection Picking, with Thuy To, Martin Schmidt, Zbigniew Michalewicz, 2005-07.
- Financial Services Council. Reporting Methods for Superannuation Performance, with C. Cheong, 2008.
- ARC-Linkage, Survival of Australia's Family Farms: Capital Raising and Credit Access, with Stringer, R and Canil J. Partner: ANZ Bank, 2009-2013.
- HomeStart Finance. Examination of the Impact of HomeStart loans on the South Australian Mortgage Market, with Mihaylov, G. 2010-2013.
- ARC-Discovery, The Implications for Greying Australia of International Property Market Inter-Linkages, with Gerlach, R. and Wilson, P., 2010-2011.
- ARC-Discovery, Computational Intelligence Methods for Financial Applications, with Z Michalewicz, 2010-2012.
- ARC-Linkage, The Adequacy and Sustainability of Self-Managed Superannuation Funds: Governance, Performance, Asset Allocation, Fee Structure and Compliance, with Yawson, A. and Tretola, J., Partner: SMSFA, 2010-2013.
- ARC-Linkage, Funding our future: perceptions of the value of financial planning advice, with C Plewa, J Sweeney, and Michayluk, D., Partner: Financial Services Council, 2012-2015.
- HomeStart Finance. Do HomeStart Loans improve homeownership rates in South Australia?, with G. Mihaylov, 2016-2017.
- EU Centre for Global Affairs. Signature research project on corporate governance in Asia, with D Boehe, 2015-2019.
- CPA Australia. Best Practice Governance in the Not-For-Profit Sector, with Coram, P., Kent, P and Yawson, A. 2019-2020.
- SuperConcepts. SMSF Profile Review, with G. Mihaylov. 2019.
- Shenzhen Government Innovation Plan Grant. The application of artificial intelligence in financial portfolio management, with Ghandar, A. 2019-2020.
- Electric Vehicle Council and Battery Stewardship Council. Automotive Product Stewardship, with Dodd, T., Hoffmann, A. and Cheong, C. 2022.
- Self-Managed Superannuation Funds Association. Understanding Self-Managed Super Fund Performance, with Mihaylov, G. 2023.
- Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Climate Change, Crop Insurance Participation and Moral Hazard, with Canil, J. and Mihaylov, G. 2022-2023.
- The World Bank. Ukraine Damage Needs Assessment, with Khomyn, M. 2023-2024.
- Defence Trailblazer. Priority Cultural Transformation Initiative, with Dodd, T., Prior, D. and Mihaylov, G. 2024-2026.
- ARC-Discovery, Increasing confidence in Australian carbon disclosures, with Canil, J., Cheong, C., Dodd, T. and Liu, C., 2024-2027.
- National Indigenous Australians Agency, Sustainable Financial Management Capacity Building, with The Dieri Aboriginal Corporation, Obaydin, I. and Mihaylov, G., 2025-2028.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Principal Supervisor | Does ESG Disclosure Improve Access to Green Credit? A Cross-Country Study of Emerging Market Firms | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Thi Viet Hang Dao |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Increasing confidence in Australian carbon disclosures | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Jinhong Park |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Analysts’ Earnings Pressure and Corporate CSR Information Disclosure | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Yiran Song |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Analysts Earnings Pressure and Corporate CSR Information Disclosure | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Yiran Song |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Increasing confidence in Australian carbon disclosures | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Jinhong Park |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | The impact of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine on firms' product recall decisions | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hoang Long Bui |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Corporate political connections, stock price efficiency and investor herding behavior: the role of environmental innovation | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Mishkatur Rahman |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Does equal pay influence firm value? | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Ningjing Dai |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Does equal pay influence firm value? | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Ningjing Dai |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Corporate political connections, stock price efficiency and investor herding behavior: the role of environmental innovation | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Mishkatur Rahman |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | The impact of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine on firms' product recall decisions | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hoang Long Bui |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Governance role of short sellers | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Zhangweiyi Ren |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Islamic Banking Confronts Sinicized Religion | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Sunze Yu |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Islamic Banking Confronts Sinicized Religion | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Sunze Yu |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Governance role of short sellers | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Zhangweiyi Ren |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Capital for a Greener Future: How Sustainable Finance Shapes Corporate and Investment Decisions | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Vivian Li |
| 2022 - 2024 | Principal Supervisor | The impact of paid maternity leave on corporate financial decisions - Cash holdings and dividend payout ratio | Master of Philosophy | Master | Full Time | Miss Shangyi Gao |
| 2021 - 2023 | Principal Supervisor | The impact of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine on firms' product recall decisions | - | Master | Full Time | Mr Hoang Long Bui |
| 2021 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Three Essays on Corporate Finance | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Yanlin Liu |
| 2020 - 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Corporate Actions and Outcomes Under Multifaceted Market Landscape | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Shihe Li |
| 2019 - 2020 | Principal Supervisor | Does Firm-Level Political Risk affect Mergers and Acquisitions? | Master of Philosophy | Master | Full Time | Ms Yanlin Liu |
| 2018 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Studies on bank risks | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Md Abdul Wasi |
| 2018 - 2020 | Principal Supervisor | The bright side of belief dispersion within TMTs | Master of Philosophy | Master | Full Time | Mr Shihe Li |
| 2017 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor | Advertising's Financial Market Outcomes | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Shujie Liu |
| 2017 - 2021 | Co-Supervisor | Information dissemination and corporate bankruptcies | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Dinh Trung Nguyen |
| 2016 - 2019 | Principal Supervisor | Strategic Responses of Firms to Product Market Competition | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Anutchanat Jaroenjitrkam |
| 2015 - 2017 | Principal Supervisor | The asymmetric impact of positive and negative news on stock return synchronicity | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Sha Lu |
| 2015 - 2017 | Co-Supervisor | Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain: A network perspective | - | Master | Full Time | Hanh Tran |
| 2015 - 2019 | Principal Supervisor | The Determinants of Financial Analysts' Performance: Analyses using Quasi-Natural Experiments | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Thi Mai Lan Nguyen |
| 2015 - 2019 | Principal Supervisor | Hierarchical Complexity and Corporate Opaqueness | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr George Zhao |
| 2015 - 2019 | Principal Supervisor | Tone at the Top: The Influence of CEO Personal Characteristics on Corporate Financial Reporting and Environmental Responsibility | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Thuy Lien Nguyen |
| 2014 - 2018 | Principal Supervisor | The Role of Information Asymmetry and the Level of Market Trading Activity in Shaping the Time-to-Maturity Pattern of Futures Return Volatility | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hoang Long Phan |
| 2013 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | Banking Regulation and Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study of Chinese Banks | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Yishu Fu |
| 2012 - 2015 | Principal Supervisor | Essays on the impacts of household financial decision making | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr George Mihaylov |
| 2012 - 2016 | Co-Supervisor | PRO-RIS and Customer Engagement in Complex Services | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Sylvia Chee Yeng Ng |
| 2010 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | The Significance of Shareholder Right Limiting Provisions during Merger Waves: An Empirical Investigation | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Ivan Obaydin |
| 2010 - 2016 | Principal Supervisor | Nature versus Nurture: The Influence of Personal Attributes and Traits in Determining an Individual's Risk Taking in Trading | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr Gary Tan |
| 2009 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | Cross-Listing and Firm-Specific Information: Evidence from Chinese A-Shares and H-Shares | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Shan Li |
| 2009 - 2012 | Principal Supervisor | An Empirical Examination of Informed Trading in the Option Market | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Thi Thanh Van Le |
| 2009 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | How Foreign Trades Affect Domestic Market Liquidity: A Transaction Level Analysis | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Yessy Peranginangin |
| 2008 - 2015 | Principal Supervisor | Explaining the information content and completion rates of on-market repurchase programs conducted in Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr Graeme Gould |
| 2007 - 2010 | Co-Supervisor | Computational Intelligence for Equity Portfolio Management | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Adam Mostafa Ghandar |
| 2005 - 2009 | Principal Supervisor | The Sensitivity of Returns of Non-Bank Financial Institutions to the Fixed Income and Equity Markets | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | APrf Chee Cheong |
| 2004 - 2010 | Principal Supervisor | Corporate Governance in the Islamic Banking System in Pakistan: The Role of the Shari'ah Supervisory Boards | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Prof Hussain Rammal |
| 2004 - 2011 | Principal Supervisor | The Impact of Changes of Capital Regulations on Bank Capital and Portfolio Risk Decisions: A Case Study of Indonesian Banks | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr Ratna Derina |
| 2003 - 2006 | Principal Supervisor | The Return-Volume Relationship for emerging Markets - Analysis of the Internet Technology Bubble in the United States | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Syed Zamin Ali |
| 2002 - 2007 | Principal Supervisor | The Impact of Macroeconomic Announcements on the Australian Fixed Income Market | Master of Commerce | Master | Part Time | Mr Nixon Mak |
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