Heather Sorcha

Contact

sorcha@mtu.edu
Academic Office Building G007

Associate Professor, College of Business

PhD, Finance, Washington State University, 2011
MA, Applied Economics, Washington State University, 2010
BA, Actuarial Science, Roosevelt University, 1999

Biography

Dr. Sorcha earned a Bachelor of Arts in Actuarial Science from Roosevelt University in 1999,
working in industry as a pension actuary. Sorcha earned a Master of Arts in Applied Economics
(2010) and Doctorate in Business Administration – Finance (2011), both from Washington State
University. Sorcha researches financial technology (FinTech), insider trading, and investor
sentiment, with publications in the Financial Analysts Journal, the Journal of Business
Research, the International Review of Economics and Finance, the Journal of Financial
Education, and Managerial Finance.

Dr. Sorcha teaches Derivatives & Financial Engineering, FinTech Foundations, Global Finance,
Investment Analysis, and Principles of Finance. Sorcha has been nominated multiple times for
Michigan Technological University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Sorcha was inducted into
Michigan Tech’s Academy of Teaching Excellence in 2018 and into Michigan Tech's Dean's
Teaching Showcase in 2017. In 2013, Sorcha received the College of Business Administration
Dean's Teaching Award as a faculty member at Central Michigan University. In 2010, Sorcha
received Washington State University's Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Sorcha currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for Managerial Finance, and is a
Past President of the MBAA Academy of Finance. At Michigan Technological University, Sorcha
serves as a member of the University Athletic Council, chairman of the College of Business
Strategic Planning Committee, and a member of the College of Business Undergraduate
Programs Committee.

Teaching Interests

• Derivatives & Financial Engineering
• FinTech Foundations
• Global Finance
• Investment Analysis
• Principles of Finance

Links of Interest

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

Research Interests

• FinTech
• Insider Trading
• Investor Attention
• Market Efficiency

Selected Publications

• Sorcha, Heather, Russ Louks and Tom Merz, 2022, Scorecasting: Framing Effects in a
Finitely Repeated 2x2 Zero-Sum Game, Journal of Economic Insight, 48(1), 33-46.
• Sorcha, Heather, Dean Johnson and Joel Tuoriniemi, 2020, Student Managed
Investment Funds: Maximizing Learning Opportunities by Increasing Student Control,
Advances in Financial Education, Summer 2020 (lead article).
• Knewtson, Heather and Zachary Rosenbaum, 2020, Toward Understanding FinTech and
its Industry, Managerial Finance, 46(8), 1043-1060.
• Knewtson, Heather, W. Paul Chiou and John Nofsinger, 2019, Paying Attention to
Social Media Stocks, International Review of Economics and Finance, 59, 106-119.
• Knewtson, Heather and Howard Qi, 2019, Managing Risk for Sustainable Microfinance,
Journal of Risk Finance, 20(1), 2-13.
• Knewtson, Heather, 2018, Paying Attention to Student Learning in Principles of
Finance, Journal of Financial Education, 44(2), 246-261.
• Knewtson, Heather, 2014, Leading a Mock Trading Floor: Active Based Learning in a
Business Context, Journal of Accounting and Finance, 14, 11-19.
• Knewtson, Heather and John Nofsinger, 2014, Why are CFO Insider Trades More
Informative? Managerial Finance, 40, 157-175.
• Knewtson, Heather, Richard Sias and David Whidbee, 2010, Style Timing with
Insiders, Financial Analysts Journal, 66, 46-66.
• Knewtson, Heather and Richard Sias, 2010, Why Susie Owns Starbucks: The Name
Letter Effect in Security Selection, Journal of Business Research, 63, 1324-1327.