Prior to joining York University, Larkin was an Assistant Professor of Finance at Pennsylvania State University. She obtained her PhD in finance from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. Throughout her career, Yelena has taught finance courses at several well-known universities around the world, including Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before starting her academic career, Yelena worked as an investment analyst at various regulatory and private institutions, including the World Bank and the Bank of Israel.