Dr
Asha Asha Elizabeth ThomasProfile page
Lecturer, Industry Placement (TF)
Work Based Learning - Academic
BIO
Dr. Asha Elizabeth Thomas is a Teaching Focused Lecturer in Industry Placements in the Work Integrated Learning Academic (WILA) team in the Office of the Provost. She is committed to creating learning experiences that are practical, inclusive, and directly connected to the realities of today's professional environment.
With over 15 years of teaching, research, and leadership experience in designing and delivering doctoral, postgraduate and undergraduate programs in Management and Commerce across multiple universities in Australia and India, Dr. Thomas brings a student-centred approach to every classroom. Her teaching integrates AI tools, blended learning, and active pedagogy to equip students with the skills that industry partners value.
Dr. Thomas holds two doctorates — a PhD in Commerce focusing on Stock Market Efficiency and Market Integration, and a PhD in Management focusing on Corporate Governance and Institutional Investor Activism. She also holds a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Internationalisation in Higher Education Institutions funded by the University Grants Commission, India. Her research spans Work Integrated Learning and AI integration, corporate governance, financial markets, and educational equity, access and inclusion, with 50+ publications in refereed journals, over AUD $75,000 in competitive research grants, and 200+ students supervised across doctoral, postgraduate, and undergraduate levels.
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY APPOINTMENTS
- LecturerLa Trobe University, WILA, Melbourne, Australia28 Apr 2026 - present
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- Sessional LecturerUniversity of the Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Australia9 Feb 2026 - 24 Apr 2026
- Associate LecturerThe University of Melbourne, Department of Management and Marketing, Parkville, Australia10 Feb 2025 - 30 Nov 2025
- Associate Professor & Head of the DepartmentMahatma Gandhi University, St. Paul's College, Kochi, India1 Jun 2022 - 31 Jan 2025
- Assistant ProfessorMahatma Gandhi University, St. Paul's College, Kochi, India1 Jun 2011 - 31 May 2022
- Assistant ProfessorSCMS Group of Educational Institutions, PGDM, Ernakulam, India2 Apr 2007 - 31 May 2011
NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- Dean of Quality AssuranceMahatma Gandhi University, St. Paul's College, Kochi, India1 Jun 2018 - 31 May 2022
DEGREES
- Ph.D. in ManagementLincoln University College, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia6 May 2021 - 13 Aug 2025
- Ph.D. in CommerceMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India3 Jun 2008 - 19 Jun 2011
- Post Doctoral FellowshipCochin University of Science and Technology, Ernakulam, India13 Jun 2016 - 14 Jun 2018
- Master of Business AdministrationMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India4 Jun 2012 - 23 May 2014
- Master of CommerceMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India4 Jun 2001 - 28 Mar 2003
- Master of PhilosophyUniversity of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India15 Jun 2005 - 30 Mar 2006
- Master of Science (Applied Psychology)Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore, India1 Jun 2017 - 20 Mar 2019
- Bachelor of CommerceMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India1 Jun 1997 - 31 May 2000
CERTIFICATIONS
- Certificate IV in Training and AssessmentVictoria University, Melbourne, Australia26 Dec 2025 - present
- Certificate in Learning, Teaching & Assessment in Higher EducationUniversity of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom26 Mar 2015 - present
- Melbourne Teaching CertificateThe University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia3 Dec 2025 - present
AVAILABILITY
- Career advice
- Collaborative projects
- Mentoring (short-term)
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
- 4 Quality Education
- 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure