Finance
PHD Students
Tim Dong
Email: tdong3@vols.utk.edu
Tim Dong is currently a third-year finance doctoral student. He has a background in programming and computational finance. Before coming to Haslam, Dong completed in internship as an auditor and worked for a hedge fund as a part-time consultant. He earned his MSc of computational finance from Rochester Institute of Technology. Dong’s research interests include cryptoeconomics (cryptocurrencies and their economics systems), decentralized finance and trust in financial systems. He often utilizes game theory and econometrics in his research. Dong’s papers have been accepted to crypto-focused conferences such as Crypto Economics Security Conference (UC Berkeley) and UWA Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference.
Zhengzhuo Li
Email: zli100@vols.utk.edu
Zhengzhuo (Zyaire) Li is currently in his third year as a finance Ph.D. Before joining the program, he worked as an accounting graduate research assistant at Wake Forest University, where he obtained his M.S. in business analytics. Additionally, LI holds a B.S. in management from Tulane University, with dual majors in finance and marketing. His research primarily focuses on empirical corporate finance, with a special emphasis on areas such as corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation. He seeks to address pivotal questions related to corporate entities, aiming to provide insights that enhance decision-making processes.
Lan Nie
Email: lnie@vols.utk.edu
Banks Osborne
Email: bosbor14@vols.utk.edu
Banks Osborne is a fourth-year PhD candidate who joined the finance program in August 2020. He previously worked as a data scientist and an instructor of statistics while earning his M.S. in mathematics at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he also earned his B.A. in economics and B.S in mathematics. Outside of academia, Osborne worked as a statistical consultant. His research centers on how cyber risk influences firms and financial markets, and his dissertation seeks to expand understanding of how cyberattacks affect stakeholders of targeted entities. More broadly, Osborne also enjoys researching topics related to financial technology and regulatory issues.
Wenxuan (Laura) Sun
Email: wsun22@vols.utk.edu
Wenxuan Sun is a second-year Ph.D. student. She joined the doctoral finance program in August 2022. Sun holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Xi’an International Studies University and a master’s degree in quantitative finance and risk analytics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to her doctoral studies, Sun worked as a credit analyst, gaining valuable experience in financial modeling and credit risk assessment. Her research interests include corporate finance and corporate governance. Within the domain of corporate finance, Sun delves into subjects including capital structure and strategies for risk management. Simultaneously, her passion for corporate governance leads her to explore governance mechanisms and their influence on firm performance.