Kumar Venkataraman

Professor of Finance, Maguire Chair in Energy; Academic Director of Maguire Energy Institute

Kumar Venkataraman is a distinguished academic in the field of finance, holding several prominent positions at Southern Methodist University (SMU):

Academic Positions

Kumar Venkataraman is a Professor of Finance at the Cox School of Business at SMU.1 2 He also holds the Maguire Chair in Energy Management, a prestigious endowed position.1 2 Additionally, he serves as the Academic Director of both the Maguire Energy Institute and the Kyle Miller Energy Management program.1 2

Research and Expertise

Professor Venkataraman specializes in market microstructure, focusing on:

Financial market design
Evaluation of trading strategies
Functioning of equity, fixed income, options, futures, swaps, and energy markets1 3

His research has been published in top-tier academic journals and featured in prominent business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Financial Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg News.1 2

Professional Engagements

Member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee (2017-2021)1 2
Visiting economist with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)1
Consultant and expert witness for organizations including the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)1 3

Education

Ph.D. in Business Administration (Finance) from Arizona State University1 2
Master of Management Sciences (Finance) from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India1

Awards and Recognition

Named among "The Best 40 B-School Profs Under the Age of 40" by Poets & Quants in 20111 2
Recipient of multiple NASDAQ Best Paper Awards in Market Microstructure1
Awarded the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at SMU (2017-2019)1