Maureen O’Hara is a renowned authority on market microstructure and high-frequency trading. Professor O’Hara has addressed a range of topics involving banking, financial intermediaries, law and finance, and experimental economics.
In her research, Professor O’Hara has assessed the impact of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on market stability, liquidity issues in corporate and municipal bond markets, transaction costs in bitcoin, and access to price information in financial markets. She has also examined financial regulation and corporate governance in the banking sector. In 2020, the CFA Institute honored Professor O’Hara with the James R. Vertin Award, which is “presented periodically to recognize individuals who have produced a body of research notable for its relevance and enduring value to investment professionals.”
She has testified in high-profile securities litigation, including matters involving class certification. Professor O’Hara has consulted to major tech firms, financial institutions, exchanges, FinTech companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Professor O’Hara is the author of Market Microstructure Theory, a noted textbook focused on liquidity, multi-market trading, market structure, and market design. She also coedited High-Frequency Trading: New Realities for Traders, Markets and Regulators. Professor O’Hara has published numerous articles in leading finance and economics journals. She has received multiple best paper recognitions, including three Smith-Breeden Prizes for a Distinguished Paper, awarded by the Journal of Finance.
Professor O’Hara was president of the American Finance Association—the first woman to hold that role—the Western Finance Association, the Financial Management Association, the Society for Financial Studies, and the International Atlantic Economic Society. She has served as executive editor of the Review of Financial Studies, and advisory editor for the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Markets, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, among others.
At Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business, Professor O’Hara teaches courses on financial markets and institutions, as well as finance and ethics. She has received several awards for outstanding teaching.
Professor O’Hara holds honorary doctorates from Facultés Universitaires Catholiques à Mons (FUCAM) in Belgium, Universität Bern in Switzerland, and University College Dublin. She served as professor of finance at the University of Technology Sydney.