Economics
Doctoral Students
Ebenezer Acquah
Office: Room F163, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: eacquah@vols.utk.edu
First Year
Ebenezer Acquah is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, as well as a UT M.S. in mathematics student. Acquah’s research bridges mathematics and economics, employing computational and analytical tools to study complex economic systems, evaluate policy interventions and uncover patterns in dynamics systems.
Halima Begum
Office: Room F164, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: hbegum1@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interest: economic forecasting, international trade
Halima Begum worked as a central banker, and her experience in banking motivated her to pursue a Ph.D. in economics. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics, as well as an MBA in finance.
Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan
Office: Room F152, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: mcarried@vols.utk.edu
Third 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.
Joao Pedro Cavalcanti
Office: Room F147, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: jcavalca@vols.utk.edu
Third year
Fields of Interest: firm dynamics, growth and development
João Cavalcanti earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the Federal University of Pernambuco. After that, he worked as a research assistant at the Brazilian National Institute of Applied Economic Research. He loves everything related to sports. He also loves to hang out with friends and family.
Debanjali Dasgupta
Office: Room F166, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: ddasgup2@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interest: health economics, environmental economics, labor economics
Debanjali Dasgupta completed her undergraduate coursework in economics from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, India, and her master’s in economics from TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India. Prior to starting her Ph.D. in economics, she worked as a research assistant at TERI School of Advanced Studies and at Ipsos, a multinational market research organization for various health policy projects that focus on barriers to accessing healthcare services in India. Her current research interests focus on maternal and child health. Outside academics, she is interested in art and music.
Trinity Douglass
Office: Room F164, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: tdougl18@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interest: labor economics, development economics, and behavioral economics
Trinity’s Douglass received a bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee. She enjoys hiking, trail running and mountain biking.
Linnea Endersby
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F152, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: lendersb@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interest: education economics, health economics
Linnea Endersby graduated from Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Kaden Grace
Office: Room F167, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: kgrace7@vols.utk.edu
Fourth year
Fields of Interest: intersection of addiction, health and economic policy
Kaden Grace is an economics Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His work is deeply rooted in a desire to make a difference for those less fortunate. Outside of his academic pursuits, Kaden excels as a scuba instructor, sharing his love for the underwater world. Kaden also enjoys poker and fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains. He holds degrees in mathematics and economics from Ole Miss.
Lucas Gurgel
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F148, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: lchavesg@vols.utk.edu
Fourth Year
Fields of interest: labor economics, public economics, energy and applied macroeconomics
Lucas Gurgel is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the 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.
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.
Ahona Halder
Office: Room F162, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: ahalder1@vols.utk.edu
Fields of interest: international trade, development economics, labor economics
Ahona Halder is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. Halder previously worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.
Bowen Jiang
Office: Room F154, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: bjiang12@vols.utk.edu
Third year
Fields of Interest: theoretical microeconomics
Bowen Jiang is a first-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee. He graduated from Liaoning University, China, with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. He also earned a master’s degree in agriculture economics from the University of Tennessee. Before joining the program, his research area focused on the effects of trade policy on international trade. In his free time, he likes to go to the gym and skateboard.
Xin Jin
Office: Room F166, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: xjin11@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interests: environmental economics, education economics and labor economics
Xin Jin is an applied microeconomist. Her research lies at the intersection of education, environment and labor economics. Jin’s current work focuses on how environmental shocks and education policies shape students’ academic and social outcomes.
Pengzhen Li
Office: Room F154, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: pli26@vols.utk.edu
Third year
Fields of Interest: international trade, environmental economics
Pengzhen Li holds a master’s degree in finance from Shandong University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Tongji University. At Shandong, his research was related to the impact of green technology innovations on CO2 emissions. After his master’s, he served as a graduate research assistant at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) for two years. During that time, his research centered on designing the supply chains for sustainable aviation fuels from forest residues in the southeastern United States using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models. In his spare time, he enjoys playing ping-pong and badminton.
Ruining Liu
Office: Room F168, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: rliu35@vols.utk.edu
Second year
Fields of Interest: Applied Econometrics, Machine Learning
Ruining Liu graduated from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and minor in Finance. Before pursuing her master’s degree in business Analytics at Washington University in St. Louis, she developed a strong foundation in data analysis and research methods. Her current interests focus on applying econometric techniques and machine learning to address economic challenges.
Trenton Marable
Office: Room F147, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: tmarable@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
Fields of Interest: environmental, transportation, and public economics
Trenton Marable is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. His research broadly explores how consumers respond to changes in environmental quality and infrastructure. His current work focuses on the impacts of drinking water quality violations and the role of pricing and access in EV charging behavior. Following his third year at UT, Marable worked as a research intern at Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Mississippi State University, with minors in economics and mathematics
Tommy Morgan
Office: Room F168, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: tmorga39@vols.utk.edu
Second year
Fields of Interest: applied econometrics, economic history, health economics
Tommy Morgan graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in mathematics. Prior to studying at the University of Tennessee, he worked in the Record Linking Lab at BYU, using large-scale Census microdata to research questions about health, demography, and government spending. His personal interests include watching sports with his wife and playing competitive Pokémon.
Connor Neff
Office: Room F167, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: cneff6@vols.utk.edu
Fourth year
Fields of Interest: industrial organization, energy economics, environmental economics
Prior to studying at the University of Tennessee, Connor Neff earned a B.A. in economics and statistics from the University of Florida. He also has professional experience in data analyst roles in the insurance, finance and consumer packaged goods industries.
Outside of economics, Connor enjoys spending time outside. He’s a passionate rock climber who has spent time guiding in the Southeast and climbing around the world. He also enjoys live music, great food and traveling.
Emmanuel Obijole
Email: eobijole@vols.utk.edu
Second year
A206 Cherokee Mills
Fields of interest: Macroeconomics, Applied Econometrics, and Development Economics
Emmanuel Obijole is a PhD student with research interests in development, macroeconomic stability, and evidence-based policies. Before beginning doctoral studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Emmanuel graduated from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria studying economics at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. He enjoys time with family and friends and loves music, movies, and soccer.
Prabuddha Prakash
Email: pprakas1A@vols.utk.edu
Fifth year
A202 Cherokee Mills
Fields of Interest: Public economics, international trade, environmental economics
Prabuddha Prakash graduated with a master’s degree in economics from Delhi School of Economics, India. He has a penchant for applied microeconomics, and his goal is to provide empirical evidence to policymakers.
Amrit Shrestha
Office: Room F153, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: ashrest3@vols.utk.edu
Third year
Fields of Interest: applied microeconomics, econometrics
Amrit Shrestha has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Agriculture and Forestry University and a master’s in agricultural and resource economics from Herbert College of Agriculture, University of Tennessee. Other than studying he likes to go hiking and playing soccer.
Benjamin Sprayberry
Office: Room F153, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: bspraybe@vols.utk.edu
Third year
Fields of Interest: industrial organization, behavioral economics, public finance
Benjamin Sprayberry is from the Chattanooga area. He discovered his predisposition toward economics during the National Academic Decathlon in high school and earned a gold medal in economics. He later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mercer University in Macon, GA, where he also minored in finance and took a paid internship in purchasing with the Blue Bird Corporation. He enjoys strategic games of all kinds (particularly those he can play with others), hiking and spending time with close friends and family.
Thomas Verville
Graduate Research Assistant
Office: Room F148, Cherokee Mills, Suite 108
Email: tvervill@vols.utk.edu
Fifth 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.
Fuqiang Wang
Email: fwang30@vols.utk.edu
Second year
A203C Cherokee Mills
Fuqiang Wang holds dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. He also earned a Master of Arts in applied economics and a Master of Science in applied statistics from the University of Michigan. After spending a year at the Economic Growth Institute at the University of Michigan, he joined the Haslam Economics Ph.D program to further his studies.
If you have questions about our graduate program or our current job market candidates, contact us.
Graduate Director:
Georg Schaur
865-974-1710
gschaur@utk.edu
Graduate Program Assistant:
Sherri Pinkston
865-974-1687
spinksto@utk.edu