Jesse Davis

Jesse Davis is an Associate Professor of Finance and Associate Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. His research focuses on learning and belief formation in financial markets, corporate decision-making, and macroeconomic dynamics. He teaches core microeconomics in MBA programs and corporate finance theory in doctoral programs.

Dr. Davis holds a PhD from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, an MBA (with high honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BS in Mathematics, along with BA degrees in Chemistry and English Literature from Miami University. Prior to academia, he worked as a quantitative fixed income analyst at Neuberger Berman and for non-profits addressing housing needs.

His research themes include motivated beliefs, endogenous information production/acquisition, and rational confusion. Recent articles explore topics like debt-equity conflicts, trendy business cycles, and the gender pay gap’s link to salary history bans.

As an award-winning instructor, he emphasizes practical finance concepts and their real-world applications. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical observations, contributing to both academic discourse and policy discussions.