Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
Ph.D. Students
Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan
Office: Room F152, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: mcarried@vols.utk.edu
Second year
Fields of Interest: behavioral economics, political economics
Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan is a Ph.D. student in economics at the University of Tennessee, driven by her deep passion for the subject. Her academic journey started at Salisbury University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in economics, accompanied by a minor in mathematics. Fernanda’s love for economics was ignited during her first undergraduate class in microeconomics, leaving a mark on her academic path. She aspires to conduct meaningful research that can positively impact her community and her homeland, Mexico.
Beyond academia, Fernanda finds comfort in the company of her beloved pet bunny, Buggsy. She also enjoys an active lifestyle, with a passion for running, hiking in the Smoky Mountains and exploring Knoxville.
Linnea Endersby
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F152, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: lendersb@vols.utk.edu
Fourth year
Fields of Interest: education economics, health economics
Linnea Endersby graduated from Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Lucas Chaves Gurgel
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F148, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: lchavesg@vols.utk.edu
Fourth-Year
Fields of interests: labor economics, public economics, energy and applied macroeconomics
Lucas Chaves Gurgel is fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. His research focuses on labor and public economics, with particular attention to the intersection of education and health outcomes. He also maintains an active research interest in applied macroeconomics, having published work on Brazilian monetary policy and examined how oil price fluctuations affect economic performance.
Chaves Gurgel currently works as a research assistant at Haslam’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, where he develops policy evaluation projects for faculty and external organizations. Before graduate school, he worked as an electrical engineer on wind farm operations and university infrastructure projects.
Thomas Verville
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F148, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: tvervill@vols.utk.edu
Fourth year
A153 BCBER, Cherokee Mills
Fields of Interest: tax policy impact, fair division mechanisms, game theory
Thomas Verville is a Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee. His academic journey began at Kalamazoo College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. After working for a few years, he completed his master’s degree in applied economics at Western Michigan University.
In his free time, Thomas enjoys golfing and playing guitar. Most of his time is spent either playing fetch with his dog or pampering his two cats.