Faculty Research Day

William Hoyt is a Gatton Endowed Professor and the Department of Economics Chair in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. William Hoyt’s research focuses on issues in public economics, with particular emphasis on state and local public finance and cost-benefit analysis of public programs. Dr. Hoyt’s current research includes work on fiscal competition, the impacts of state and local tax policies on employment, the impacts of tax policies on housing markets, educational choice plans and crossover in the use of poverty programs. Dr. Hoyt has served as Principal Investigator on projects funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the United States Department of Agriculture (Economic Research Service). He is a research associate at the Center for Economic Studies (Munich, Germany) and Editor of the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis. He has served on numerous advisory boards for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and was previously on the editorial board of the Journal of Urban Economics.

Rajeev Darolia is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Kentucky. He serves as Associate Director of the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and Director of Graduate Studies for the MPA and PhD programs at the Martin School of Public Policy. 
He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, a Research Fellow at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, and a 2018 National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. He is on the editorial boards of Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Higher Education, and Educational Researcher.
Dr. Darolia's research interests include questions about how public policy affects economic mobility and financial security, especially related to education policy. Dr. Darolia publishes research across public policy, economics, and education journals, including in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Journal of Public Economics, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Spencer Foundation, the US Department of Labor, and the Association for Institutional Research.
Professor Darolia teaches classes in causal research methods and program evaluation. He routinely advises nonprofit organizations and federal, state, and local policymakers on regulatory, research, and policy topics.
Dr. Darolia received a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration from George Washington University where he was recognized with the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Education Finance and Policy. He also holds a master's degree in economics and a bachelor's degree in finance.

Leonce Bargeron is an Associate Professor of Finance. His research interests include mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, payout policy, and information asymmetry. He has published his research in leading finance and accounting journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.
Before joining the Gatton College of Business, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to pursuing his academic career, he was an options market maker: three years trading foreign currency options on the PHLX in Philadelphia, two years trading FTSE 100 options on the floor the LIFFE in London and one year trading OTC options for BNP in Paris. Subsequent to trading, he served for two years as the CFO of Ram Tool and Supply Co. He earned a B.A. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tian Qiu is a PhD candidate in the Department of Finance. He received his master's degree from the University of Illinois and his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Brian Bratten is the Carol Martin Gatton Endowed Chaired Professor of Accountancy at the University of Kentucky. Professor Bratten joined UK in 2009 after receiving a PhD in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a BBA in Accounting and an MS in Finance from Texas A&M University, and is a CPA. Prior to his doctoral studies, he was a Senior Associate at KPMG LLP auditing companies primarily in the financial services industry. He was a Visiting Scholar at Indiana University in 2018.
Professor Bratten has published research in a variety of top accounting journals including The Accounting Review, Accounting, Organizations & Society, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Financial Reporting, Management Science, and Review of Accounting Studies. His research focuses on financial accounting and auditing topics, including analysts' forecasts, earnings management, executive compensation, fair value accounting, fundamental analysis, and the information content of GAAP and non-GAAP disclosures. He is the recipient of several best paper awards, and was awarded the inaugural Gatton College Research Excellence Award for Productivity. He also serves on editorial boards and as an ad hoc reviewer for several leading accounting journals.
Professor Bratten teaches financial accounting courses and a doctoral research seminar. He currently serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for the PhD program in Accounting.

Will Gerken is the PNC Endowed Associate Professor of Finance. He has a PhD in Finance from Michigan State University, MS and MBA degrees from Georgia Tech, and BS degrees from West Virginia University. He is a CFA charterholder and serves as the principal contact for the CFA Institute University Affiliation Programs (BS & MSF). Prior to joining the Gatton College of Business, he was an Assistant Professor at Auburn University.
His research focuses on financial advisors, financial misconduct, and governance. He has published his research in leading finance journals such as: Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Review of Finance. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Corporate Finance. His research has won best paper awards at leading international conferences. His research has also been featured in the international media such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and NPR and cited by Securities Exchange Commission.

Russell Jame is the Garvice D. Kincaid Associate Professor of Finance. He has a PhD in Finance from Emory University, and a BS in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University. Prior to joining the Gatton College of Business, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney Australia.
His research focuses on mutual funds and hedge funds, financial accounting, and behavioral finance. He has published his research in leading finance and accounting journals such as: Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Journal of Accounting Research. His research has also been featured in the business press such as The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.