Finance Professor and Microsoft Excel MVP

Dr. Eric Kelley is a Professor of Finance at the University of Tennessee. In his research, he studies how traders interact in financial markets and emphasizes the extent to which information is incorporated into asset prices. He has published work in the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Finance and Quantitative Analysis and the Review of Financial Studies and has been presented at top finance conferences such as the American Finance Association and Western Finance Association annual meetings. Eric teaches Finance students at the Undergraduate, MBA, and PhD levels. In all his courses, he emphasizes quantitative problem-solving techniques and challenges students to create robust scalable models. He is particularly passionate about developing integrated university curricula spanning multiple courses that teach students to build financial models from the ground up using the most innovative techniques available. Eric maintains regular interaction with expert financial modelers so he can help bridge the gap between industry and the academic community. Eric is also a Microsoft Excel MVP and a Faculty Fellow with the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge. He worked alongside other MECC leadership to create the organization's first regional competitions in 2024 and 2025 and continues to promote Excel-based eSports competitions by writing and testing cases, creating instructional content, and competing in the Microsoft Excel World Championships. Eric also coaches his student Excel eSports team from the University of Tennessee that won the 2024 MECC World Championship and placed sixth in 2025.