Jia Lu

Dr Jia Lu completed her PhD in Banking and Finance at the School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK) in July 2017. She has since established a strong academic profile spanning research, teaching, and academic leadership in finance. Following her doctoral studies, she was appointed Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at Liverpool Hope University (September 2017–April 2020) and joined Heriot‑Watt University in April 2020, where she is currently based.

 Dr Lu’s research focuses on corporate governance and corporate finance, with particular emphasis on firm risk‑taking behaviour, firm performance, financial technology, and sustainability. Her work investigates how governance mechanisms, information environments, and sustainability‑related disclosures shape managerial decision‑making, capital market outcomes, and long‑term value creation.

 Dr Lu also brings academic leadership and research capacity‑building experience. She has served as Programme Director for the MSc Finance and MSc Finance and Management programmes, contributing to strategic programme development and postgraduate education. In addition, she is an active doctoral supervisor, currently supervising two PhD projects and having supported two doctoral completions, on topics including ESG disclosure, circular economy practices, and sustainable corporate communication.

Postgraduate Finance Programme Directors for MSc Finance and MSc Finance and Management. 

University Senate 

Teaching Responsibilities: 

- Global course leader of Year 3 course: Fundamentals of Financial Technology

- Global course leader of Year 4 course: Contemporary Issues in Finance 

- Global course leader of Postgraduate course: Capital Markets 

My  research interests contain the following topics:

- Financial Management

- Corporate Governance

- Risk-taking Behavior

- Firm Performance

- Financial Technology and

- ESG and sustainable finance