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Finance Department
Finance students don't just study money, they study how money interacts with risk and time. Understanding this relationship is critical to helping individuals, companies and governments make wise decisions about managing capital, investing or borrowing funds, optimizing returns, and staying financially sound.
Degree Options in Finance
Degree Options in Finance
At Isenberg, finance students learn how to raise debt and equity capital, evaluate profitability and riskiness of projects, value small businesses and large corporations, and make traditional and alternative investments in global financial markets. In all our programs, we are preparing students to practice finance in the 21st century.
Isenberg School of Management Finance Conference
Isenberg School of Management Finance Conference
The Department of Finance at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, is pleased to host the 2nd Annual Isenberg School of Management Finance Conference on April 23–24, 2026. We are honored to announce Professor Wenxin Du as our keynote speaker. Professor Du is the Sylvan C. Coleman Professor of Financial Management and Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School. Her research spans international finance, empirical asset pricing, intermediary-based asset pricing, global liquidity, and market structure.
Center for International Securities and Derivative Markets
Center for International Securities and Derivative Markets
Our high-profile Center for International Securities and Derivative Markets (CISDM) underscores our longstanding leadership in alternative investments education and research. Through CISDM, students gain access to the Morningstar CISDM Database, the oldest hedge fund and commodity trading advisor data base on the market. And they gain an “inside industry” edge into how those markets perform and evolve.
The Isenberg Finance Department is committed to delivering high quality research and teaching financial markets, financial institutions, and finance decision-making.
Finance is a broad field that includes both theory and practice. Our prominent faculty members are renowned for their theoretical and empirical work in a broad range of areas. Our faculty members research a broad range of topics: asset pricing/investments, hedge funds, mutual funds, risk management, stock market anomalies, international investments, tax evasion, options, fixed income, derivatives, gender representation in business, financial econometrics, corporate finance and governance, fintech, cybersecurity, and machine learning applications in finance.
We encourage you to explore our internationally renowned faculty members’ work across all dimensions of our diverse society.
Finance is a broad field that includes both theory and practice. Our prominent faculty members are renowned for their theoretical and empirical work in a broad range of areas. Our faculty members research a broad range of topics: asset pricing/investments, hedge funds, mutual funds, risk management, stock market anomalies, international investments, tax evasion, options, fixed income, derivatives, gender representation in business, financial econometrics, corporate finance and governance, fintech, cybersecurity, and machine learning applications in finance.
We encourage you to explore our internationally renowned faculty members’ work across all dimensions of our diverse society.
Fousseni Chabi-Yo
Associate Dean of Research and PhD Programs; Chair, Finance Department; Co-Director Finance PhD Program; Berthiaume Endowed Professor in Business Administration; Professor of Finance
Recent Finance Faculty Publications
Finance
Soroosh Azizi
Lecturer
Léa Bouhakkou
Senior Lecturer
Ben S. Branch
Professor Emeritus
Fousseni Chabi-Yo
Associate Dean of Research and PhD Programs; Chair, Finance Department; Co-Director Finance PhD Program; Berthiaume Endowed Professor in Business Administration; Professor of Finance
Jeffrey Clark
Lecturer, David Gaunt Faculty Fellow in Real Estate; M.Fin. Academic Program Director
Robert Feingold
Lecturer
John J. Griffin
Lecturer
Lina Han
Assistant Professor
Simon Huang
Assistant Professor
Adam T. Jørring
Assistant Professor
Nikunj Kapadia, PhD
Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Professor of Finance
Hossein B. Kazemi
Director, CISDM & Michael and Cheryl Philipp Endowed Professor
Nelson Lacey
Professor Emeritus
Bing Liang
Charles P. McQuaid Endowed Professor
Wenting Ma
Assistant Professor
Marco Macchiavelli
Assistant Professor and PhD Co-Coordinator
Anya Mkrtchyan
Judith Wilkinson O’Connell Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor
Sanjay Nawalkha
Professor
Thomas O'Brien
Dean Emeritus
Chancellor Javier A. Reyes
Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Professor of Finance
Seminars and Speakers
https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/finance-department/seminars
Finance Department News
Finance NewsSee more finance news
Isenberg Expands AI Education Across Programs, Classrooms, Career Prep, Research
Isenberg Expands AI Education Across Programs, Classrooms, Career Prep, Research
The Isenberg School of Management is ensuring students and working professionals are prepared to lead in an economy where artificial intelligence is
Isenberg Expands AI Education Across Programs, Classrooms, Career Prep, Research
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Charting the Quantum Frontier: Connor Casey ’26
Charting the Quantum Frontier: Connor Casey ’26
For finance major Connor Casey '26, being an undergraduate has meant exploring—and helping shape—emerging fields at the intersection of science
Charting the Quantum Frontier: Connor Casey ’26
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Isenberg Welcomes New PhD Candidates
Isenberg Welcomes New PhD Candidates
The 10 new PhD candidates represent several countries and academic backgrounds, and they are excited to contribute to the Isenberg community through
Isenberg Welcomes New PhD Candidates
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Professional Organizations
Professional Organizations
We encourage our students to get involved with industry now! There are many finance-related organizations that students can turn to for learning and networking.
Isenberg School of Management
Go to: www.linkedin.com/isenberg-school-of-management-umass-amherst
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Congrats to Valerie Mei for landing this incredible opportunity and earning our March #IsenbergWorks Shoutout! 🏆
Winners must contact the Office of Career Success to claim their prize at careersuccess\@isenberg.umass.edu.
Share your story with #IsenbergWorks for a chance to be featured next and win a special prize! Let's celebrate your journey and inspire the Isenberg community together.
#IsenbergWorks #StudentSuccess #OfficeofCareerSucess
🗓️ Mark your calendars for April 29–30, 2026, and support what you love!
Isenberg is aiming to reach 800 gifts during UMassGives 2026—and we need YOU to make it happen. 🤝 Every gift brings us closer to our goal and helps unlock nearly $500,000 in challenge funds, multiplying your impact and directly supporting Isenberg students.
💥 Join the Isenberg community in supporting what you love and making a difference for current and future students! More info can be found at the event page below. #UMassGives #GiveHappy
🕰️Think back to the first time you walked into a professional event, introducing yourself to an employer, making that first connection, or navigating conversations with industry professionals. For many of us, those early steps into networking were both exciting and unfamiliar.
🌟At Isenberg, we’re committed to helping students gain confidence and comfort in these moments. This Spring, support our students with developing their networking skills while sharing about your career path!
🔗http://bit.ly/4dNwji4
#isenbergumass #studentdevelopment #careerhelp
Don’t forget to register for the 2nd Annual Finance Conference 📊
Join us April 23–24 at the Isenberg School of Management for two days of cutting-edge research, thought-provoking discussion, and networking with leading scholars and industry professionals.
Contact Us
Department of Finance
Room 226
Isenberg School of Management
121 Presidents Drive
Amherst, MA 01003