Andy Puckett
Up for a Challenge
Whether he’s sifting through financial data for a research project or hiking Mt. LeConte, Andy Puckett, Paul and Beverly Castagna Professor in Investments, doesn’t shy away from difficult tasks. At Haslam, Puckett spends his work hours teaching students about the impacts of FinTech, conducting research, and serving as head of the Department of Finance. Outside the office, he serves at his church and often competes in marathons and half-ironman triathlons. “I enjoy the challenge of distance running,” he says.
“It’s a fun way to push myself.”
Pucket also enjoys hiking with his family in the Smokies and beyond. In 2017, they spent six months in New Zealand, where they enjoyed stunning views during a three-day hike on the Kepler Trek.
The seeds of Puckett’s academic career were planted by two excellent professors who taught him as an undergraduate. One stayed in touch and, years later, encouraged Puckett to consider a PhD in finance. At the time, he was working as a financial advisor and thinking about a career change.
Four years after taking that advice, Puckett completed his doctorate in finance, having discovered an unexpected love for research. After stints at two other universities, Puckett joined Haslam in 2009.
At Haslam, Puckett continues to pursue research. “I’m very interested in information, specifically how information gets impounded into stock prices,” he explains.
Much of his work examines different players in the market, such as hedge funds and other institutional investors, and how they interact with various sources of information. One recent project analyzed New York City taxi data to track trips between a mutual fund office and a company’s headquarters and link them to subsequent trades in the company’s stock. “We found that mutual funds’ trades following those taxi visits tended to be more informed, contained more information, and exhibited abnormal returns. It’s a fun piece that has implications for industry regulators.”
In 2025, Puckett became head of Haslam’s finance department. “It’s been a steep learning curve with some incredibly enjoyable moments as well as speed bumps,” he says. His vision is for the department to become the best in the SEC, which means hiring, retaining, and supporting high-quality faculty. “We want to provide them with every possible support to publish innovative research in top-tier journals,” Puckett says.
Maintaining excellent student experiences that lead to strong internships and job opportunities is also a high priority. “That’s challenging with a large number of students,” he says. “But we’ve already started initiatives to bolster those opportunities in our department.”
