Anna Du
anna du

Dr Anna Du Ph.D, FHEA, PGCAP, PC(Fintech), MA, BSc (Hons)

Associate Professor

Biography

Anna is an Associate Professor in Finance at The Business School, Edinburgh Napier University. She is also the Research Lead and PhD Coordinator of Accounting and Finance Subject Group. She line manages and provides leadership to a team of AnF academics.

Anna gained her PhD in Finance from the University of Nottingham, UK. Anna's research interests focus on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, Fintech, corporate finance, sustainable finance, and energy economics. Her research initiatives have been awarded external funding totalling £184,890, including five grants from The National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC) under the auspices of the State Council of China. These grants include a grant of £40,415 (350,000 RMB) for the first project, followed by subsequent five grants of £23,095 (200,000 RMB) each, in collaboration with co-investigators in China. The NSSFC, a distinguished funding body governed by the State Council of China, plays an instrumental role in the formulation and adjustment of government policies within China by supporting rigorous research in the social sciences.

Anna has over eighty publications in international peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter. Her work has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals, including British Journal of Management (CABS 4, three of them), Journal of International Money and Finance (CABS 3), Energy Economics (CABS 3), International Business Review (CABS 3), International Review of Financial Analysis (CABS 3), Review of Quantitative Finance & Accounting (CABS 3), Annals of Operations Research (CABS 3), International Marketing Review (CABS 3), Technological Forecasting and Social Change (ABS 3), Journal of Environmental Management (CABS 3), among others. Anna is the author of thirty outputs eligible for the next REF 2029 with a healthy pipeline of new work under review or in final preparation for well-regarded journals.

Anna is an Associate Editor of International Journal of Finance and Economics (CABS 3) and European Journal of Finance (CABS 3), an Area Editor of Research in International Business and Finance (CABS 2), an Executive (managing) Guest Editor of Energy Economics (CABS 3), Financial Innovation (CABS 2) and Resources Policy (CABS 2) and an editorial board member of Corporate Governance: An International Review (CABS 3), EIA Review (IF: 9.7), Financial Innovation (CABS 2) and Journal of Organisational Effectiveness (CABS 2). She serves as a reviewer for over fifty international peer-reviewed Journals and Research Development Fund (RDF) in China.

She has chaired or served as a scientific/committee board member at twelve international conferences across China, UK, Spain, Italy and Vietnam.

Anna has shown a significant dedication to guiding academic development, actively engaging in the supervision of doctoral students. She has successfully supervised five PhD students to completion and continues supervising research students. She frequently serves in the capacity of both internal and external examiner for doctoral dissertations, across the UK, Australia, and China.

As a teacher, Anna has over ten years of experience teaching accounting and finance courses on BA, MSc, MBA, Executive MBA and PhD programmes and served as a programme leader of MSc Finance and BA Business Management with Finance at Leeds Business School. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

In addition, Anna serves as an external examiner of MSc Accounting and Finance modules at University of Surrey, UK; a distinguished visiting professor at Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China and a distinguished visiting professor at Anhui University of Finance and Economics, China.

Anna's teaching abilities have been repeatedly honoured, securing her the esteemed award of Best Lecturer in Accounting, Finance, and Law at the ENSA Excellence Awards for two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023, and Best Lecturer in Business School in 2024.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLN-qz7GPJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvi9KN0qJOA

Research Areas

News

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Member of expert committee and researcher, Global Governance Institution, Beijing, China. Global Governance Institution is an independent social think tank providing contract-based projects and international consulting services for domestic and foreign government and enterprise customers.
  • Member of the Advisory group, Chinese Academy of Sciences Constant Chip (CASCC) Ltd, Beijing, China. The company was found by fellows from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS, the world's largest research organization and No. 1 research institute in China) and won "The Tech-based SMEs award" by Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC in 2022.
  • Member of advisory board for Shanghai SDO Energy Tech Co. Ltd, Shanghai, China. The company concentrates on improving the security level and output power of each solar cell model by the application of IOT technology, cloud computing and big data technology. SDO Energy aims to engage deeply in the field of sustainable energy and create a three-in-one solution with hardware, software and data to provide smart energy services for global customers.

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Conference co-chair at the first Qiaohua Finance Forum, organised by Shandong University of Economics and Finance on March 21–22, 2025 in Jinan, China
  • Conference scientific committee member at the The African & Mediterranean Finance Society Conference (AFS - 2025) organised by UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA, 17-19th July 2025, VALENCIA,SPAIN.
  • Conference co-chair at the 2025 INFINITI conference held by Edinburgh Napier University, 8-10th June 2025, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Expected income: £14,780
  • Conference scientific committee member at the 7th Ethical Finance & Sustainability Conference (EFS - 2024) co-organised by University of Leeds,15-16th May 2024, Leeds, United Kingdom.
  • Conference scientific board member at International Congress of Energy, Economy and Security (ENSCON) 2022, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Conference scientific committee member at International Conference on the contemporary issues in finance, trade and macro economy (ICOFINT) 2022, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Conference scientific board member at International Congress of Energy, Economy and Security (ENSCON) 2021, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Conference scientific committee member at International Conference on the contemporary issues in finance, trade and macro economy (ICOFINT) 2021, Istanbul, Turkey.

 

Editorial Activity

  • Associate Editor of European Journal of Finance (CABS 3)
  • Executive guest editor of Special issue in Energy Economics (CABS 3, ABDC A*, JCR Q1) on VSI "social cost of carbon"
  • Managing guest editor of Special issue in RIBAF (CABS 2, JCR Q1) on "VSI: Finance and Sustainable Development"
  • Associate Editor of International Journal of Finance and Economics (CABS 3)
  • Editorial Board Member of Corporate Governance: An International Review (ABS 3, Wiley)
  • Editorial Board Member of Journal of Organisational Effectiveness: People and Performance (ABS 2)
  • Associate Editor of Research in International Business and Finance (ABS 2, IF:6.5))
  • Editorial Board Member of Environmental Impact Assessment Review (Impact factor: 9.8)
  • Editorial Board Member of Financial Innovation (CABS 2, JCR Q1)
  • Co-Editor of special issue at Utilities Policy (Impact Factor 3.247) "Impact of Geopolitical Climate on Energy Security of Utilities–International Challenges and Local Solutions"
  • Co-Editor of special issue at Resources Policy (CABS 2, Impact Factor 10.2). “From Covid-19 to Conflict: Challenges for Natural Resources Policy Making”

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External examiner for MSc International Financial Management at University of Surrey

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Best Lecturer in the Business School at the ENSA 2024 Excellence Awards (Winner)
  • Significant Commitment to Sustainability at the ENSA 2024 Excellence Awards (Winner)
  • Significant Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at the ENSA 2024 Excellence Awards (Honourable Mention)
  • Best Lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Law at the ENSA 2023 Excellence Awards (Winner)
  • Best Lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Law at the ENSA 2022 Excellence Awards (Winner)
  • Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China. The three-year post is an honour that also includes financial support for travel and collaborative engagement. March 2022-2025
  • Second Prize of Outstanding Achievement Award, Zhejiang Economic Association 2022 Annual Conference, Hangzhou, China
  • Fellow, Global Governance Institution, Beijing, China
  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy
  • Finalist of John P. Ziegler Best Ph.D. Student Paper at 2013 AIB-Southeast USA Annual Conference

 

Grant Funding Panel Member

  • Panel member for Edinburgh Napier University's RIE Research and Knowledge Exchange Fund 2023/24
  • The Business School Internal Funding Competition panel member at Edinburgh Napier University

 

Grant Reviewer

  • Grant reviewer for Research Development Fund (RDF), China

 

Invited Speaker

  • Invited speaker at Audencia online research seminar of the faculty of Accounting, Management Control and Economics, Paris, France
  • Invited keynote speaker at the first Qiaohua Finance Forum on Advancing the Sustainable Development of China's Economy on March 21–22, 2025 in Jinan, China
  • Invited Speaker for research workshop at Xiamen University (top 20 university in China, QS 2025: 362) “Sustainable Finance” (April, 2025)
  • Invited Speaker for research workshop at Wuhan University (top 10 university in China, QS 2025: 194) “Sustainable Finance” (April, 2025)
  • Invited Speaker for research workshop at Zhejiang University (top 5 university in China, QS 2025: 47) “Sustainable Finance” (April, 2025)
  • Invited Keynote speaker at (2024) International Conference on Financial Innovation and International Development under the "Dual Carbon" Goals, 9-10th November 2024 in Hefei, China
  • Invited keynote speaker at the 6th Forum on Energy, Environment, and Climate Change Economics (no.1 conference in energy economics in China) on 6th July 2024 in Zhuhai, China
  • Invited Panelist of Elservier round table at RIBAF Milan Conference (20th Anniversary) on 26-27th September, in Milan, Italy
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 46th Economic Forum, Hangzhou, China. " Geopolitical risks, oil price shocks and inflation: Evidence from a TVP–SV–VAR approach " (December, 2023)
  • Invited Speaker for research workshop at Lancaster University “Sustainable Finance and Design” (June, 2023)
  • Invited Speaker for research seminar at Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. "Fintech and Banking" (June, 2022)
  • Invited Discussant at New Inclusive Asia Dialogue 2022: China and the World After the 20th CPC National Congress, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (December, 2022)
  • Invited Speaker at International Academic Symposium, 2022 Asia-Pacific Development Forum, Qiangdao, China "Energy Cooperation in East Asia in the Era of Geopolitical Conflicts" (November, 2022)
  • Invited speaker for research workshop to faculty at Zhijiang College, Shaoxing, China. "Publishing in international peer-reviewed journals" (November, 2022)
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 37th Economic Forum, Hangzhou, China. "FinTech, SME efficiency and national culture: Evidence from OECD countries" (November, 2022)
  • Invited Speaker at China-UK Relations Dialogue: Study and Judgment on the Situation in Hong Kong and the Future Trend of China-UK Relations, Grandview Institution, Beijing, China. (October, 2020)
  • Invited Keynote Speaker at 26th Economic Forum, Hangzhou, China. "SMEs respond to climate change: Evidence from developing countries" (November, 2020)
  • Invited Speaker for research seminar at School of Finance, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China. " State Ownership, Institutional Effects and Value Creation in Cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions by Chinese Firms" (November, 2017)

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Member of British Academy of Management (BAM)
  • Member of the European Finance Association (EFA)
  • Member of British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA)

 

Non-executive Directorship

  • Non-executive Directorship: Shanghai SDO Energy Tech Co. Ltd, Shanghai, China since its establishment in 2019.

 

Research Degree External Examining

  • PhD external examiner at University of Nottingham, China campus 2024
  • PhD external examiner at University of Salford 2022
  • PhD external examiner at Newcastle University 2021
  • PhD external examiner at RMIT University, Australia 2020
  • PhD external examiner at University of Salford 2019
  • PhD external examiner at University of Salford 2018

 

Reviewing

  • Journal Reviewer: IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: Journal of Commodity Markets (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: Energy Economics (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics (CABS 2)
  • Journal Reviewer: Technological Forecasting & Social Change (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: International Journal of Finance and Economics (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: Journal of Product Innovation Management (CABS 4)
  • Journal Reviewer: International Business Review (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (SCI Q1, Impact factor: 16.799)
  • Journal Reviewer: British Journal of Management (CABS 4)
  • Journal Reviewer: Journal of Environmental Management (CABS 3)
  • Journal Reviewer: International Review of Financial Analysis (CABS 3)

 

Visiting Positions

  • Visiting Professor at University of Akron, Ohio, United States
  • Distinguished Visiting Professor at Zhejiang University of Technology (Ranked 39th in China and 182th worldwide in SJR Scimago Institutions Rankings 2022), Hangzhou, China

 

Date


69 results

Vulnerability of energy firms to climate risk: Does fintech development help?

Journal Article
Abbasi, K., Alam, A., Goodell, J. W., Du, A. M., & Ahmed Brohi, N. (online)
Vulnerability of energy firms to climate risk: Does fintech development help?. Energy Economics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108516
Energy firms, given their importance to overall economic activity, are increasingly seen as sources of systemic risk. Considering the relation of climate-change risk to energy...

Examining the Role of Artificial Intelligence, Financial Innovation, and Green Energy Transition in Enhancing Environmental Quality

Journal Article
Majeed, A., Xie, Y., Gao, C., Du, A. M., & Muniba. (2025)
Examining the Role of Artificial Intelligence, Financial Innovation, and Green Energy Transition in Enhancing Environmental Quality. International Review of Economics and Finance, 100, Article 104092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2025.104092
The growth of emerging economies has led to heightened environmental challenges, underscoring the importance of implementing sustainable technologies and clean energy transiti...

Modeling climate policy uncertainty into cryptocurrency volatilities

Journal Article
Ding, S., Wu, X., Cui, T., Goodell, J. W., & Du, A. M. (2025)
Modeling climate policy uncertainty into cryptocurrency volatilities. International Review of Financial Analysis, 102, Article 104030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104030
Climate change is a highly controversial topic within the socioeconomic context. Climate Policy Uncertainty (CPU) arises from the process of climate policies formulation and i...

Reevaluating Intermarket Connectedness: The Impact of Monday Return Calculations on Cryptocurrencies and Traditional Assets

Journal Article
Ali, F., Du, A. M., & Majeed, M. A. (2025)
Reevaluating Intermarket Connectedness: The Impact of Monday Return Calculations on Cryptocurrencies and Traditional Assets. Finance Research Letters, 77, Article 107016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107016
Cryptocurrencies trade continuously, unlike traditional assets limited to weekdays, creating challenges in calculating Monday returns. This paper investigates the impact of fo...

Mitigating Financing Constraints under Economic Uncertainty: The Role of Implicit Government Guarantees in China

Journal Article
Bi, S., Wei, N., Du, A. M., & Zhou, T. (2025)
Mitigating Financing Constraints under Economic Uncertainty: The Role of Implicit Government Guarantees in China. Research in International Business and Finance, 76, Article 102819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.102819
In the context of economic policy uncertainty (EPU), firms face significant financing constraints, especially in accessing credit. To address this, governments often provide i...

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Environmental Sustainability in China's Banking Sector: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Journal Article
Siddik, A. B., Yong, L., Du, A. M., Vigne, S. A., & Sharif, A. (online)
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Environmental Sustainability in China's Banking Sector: A Mixed-Methods Approach. British Journal of Management, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12901
Amid escalating global environmental challenges, the banking sector is increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance Environmental Sustainability Performance...

Digital credit and insurance: Improving economic well-being for rural households

Journal Article
Zhang, J., Chen, S., Goodell, J. W., & Du, A. M. (2025)
Digital credit and insurance: Improving economic well-being for rural households. International Review of Economics and Finance, 98, Article 103912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2025.103912
The integration of digital technologies in credit and insurance services has important implications for the economic well-being of rural households. This paper utilizes cross-...

Internal business process governance and external regulation: How does AI technology empower financial performance?

Journal Article
Cheng, X., Du, A. M., Yan, C., & Goodell, J. W. (2025)
Internal business process governance and external regulation: How does AI technology empower financial performance?. International Review of Financial Analysis, 99, Article 103927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.103927
We examine the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the financial performance of financial firms, focusing on the transmission role of business process governa...

Driving total factor productivity: The spillover effect of digitalization in the new energy supply chain

Journal Article
Zhang, A., Min Du, A., & Lin, B. (2025)
Driving total factor productivity: The spillover effect of digitalization in the new energy supply chain. Research in International Business and Finance, 75, Article 102764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.102764
Digitalization assumes a crucial role in augmenting productivity within the new energy sector. However, whether this impelling effect can permeate the entire supply chain rema...

Agricultural transformation: Exploring the impact of digitalization, technological innovation and climate change on food production

Journal Article
Chandio, A. A., Akram, W., Min Du, A., Ahmad, F., & Tang, X. (2025)
Agricultural transformation: Exploring the impact of digitalization, technological innovation and climate change on food production. Research in International Business and Finance, 75, Article 102755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.102755
Agricultural transformation is crucial for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable food production has become a key driver of this transformati...

Pre-Napier Funded Projects

  • 2022.01-2023.12 Zhejiang Provincial Soft Science Research Fund, China, £6,000 (50,000 RMB), 2022C35015, with Tianle Yang et al.
  • 2022.10-2025.06 The National Social Science Fund of China, State Council, China, £23,530 (200,000 RMB), 22BJY041, with Tianle Yang et al.
  • The National Social Science Fund of China (International co-lead) Zhang, J.H., Du, M., Jia, J., Yang, D., Xu, Y. (2021). Investigating the Critical Components, Impact Assessment, and Pathway Enhancement of Rural Digital Financial Services within the New Development Framework (新发展格局下健全农村数字金融服务体系的关键要素、效应评估与路径优化研究), £23,095 (200,000 RMB), project ID - 21BJY256, The National Social Science Fund of China, National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, General Office of the State Council, China.
  • 2020.09-2023.12 The National Social Science Fund of China (Completed) Du, Q., Ding, X., Li, Z., Du, M., Boateng, A. (2020). Research on the Enhancement of China's Manufacturing Industry's Position in the Global Value Chain through Direct Foreign Investment under the 'One Belt, One Road' Initiative (一带一路背景下对外直接投资提升我国制造业全球价格链分工位势研究), £23,095 (200,000 RMB), project ID – 20BJY189, The National Social Science Fund of China, National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, General Office of the State Council, China.
  • 2020.6-2023.6 Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Research Fund, China, £1,800 (15,000 RMB), 21NDJC037YB, with Tianle Yang et al.
  • 2020.10-2022.10 Zhejiang University of Technology Humanities and Social Sciences research fund, China, £7,060 (60,000 RMB), with Tianle Yang
  • 2018.6-2021.6 Humanities and social science project of the China’s Ministry of Education, £6,000 (RMB 50,000), 19YJC630158, with Tu, W. & Li, L.

Current Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • PhD supervision: Suvra Banik at De Montfort University due to submit her thesis in June 2025. Thesis Title: Board gender diversity and mergers & acquisitions: A comparative analysis of the UK and EU
  • PhD to completion - Dr Christiana Cole, De Montfort University, January 2025
  • PhD to completion - Dr Zhennan Sun, Zhejiang University of Technology, January 2025
  • PhD to completion - Dr Qingyuan Dong, Zhejiang University of Technology, January 2024
  • PhD to completion - Dr Zhongyuan Li, Zhejiang University of Technology, January 2024
  • PhD to completion - Dr Mohammed Shafiulla, Leeds Beckett University, March 2020