Assistant or Associate Research Professor, Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management

Position Summary

The Housing Economist will be housed within the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, but will be working in partnership with other institutions and other units of the University of Denver, including the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute at the Sturm College of Law, the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, and the Graduation School of Social Work, to support the launch and growth of a new Housing Research Center and to advance an interdisciplinary research agenda designed to address barriers to housing access.

The Housing Economist to be hired as a Research Faculty (non-tenure track) and will lead and publish research focused on housing and housing policy. The research will include topics related to expanding the supply and affordability of housing through land use and zoning policies, innovative financing tools, and other policy interventions. The Housing Economist will collaborate closely with leaders and scholars from other units on campus, as well as researchers from other institutions, to identify new research opportunities, develop research design and conceptual frameworks for understanding the links between policies and housing supply, and produce evidence-driven research that can help to inform housing policy debates in Colorado and at the federal level. The Housing Economist will also be responsible for working closely with researchers from Terner Labs to develop and manage Housing Policy Simulators for Colorado and to use resulting models to conduct policy-relevant research and analyze the application of research to policy outcomes. The Housing Economist will be expected to represent DU at various forums, conferences, symposiums and events to present and share the research and white papers produced. Working under the supervision of the Director of the Burns School and in partnership with the RMLUI, a Law and Policy Research Fellow (“Fellow”), data analysts and others, the Housing Economist will be expected to undertake rigorous, timely, and practical research projects that focus in the areas of Housing Economics, Real Estate Finance, the impact of Immigration and Demographics on Local Economies, and the interaction between Local Markets and Housing affordability.

This position is grant-funded. The term of the appointment and continuation is contingent on available funding.

Essential Functions

Research: The Housing Economist will be expected to publish research in the field of housing policy and real estate markets. This research will include the development and application of Terner Labs’ Housing Policy Simulator for communities in Colorado. The Housing Economist will have an opportunity to collaborate with scholarly active faculty across various departments and schools on research papers targeted at top tier housing, real estate, and economics journals.

• Collaboration: The Housing Economist will be expected to partner with researchers at the University of Denver, Terner Labs, and other institutions to support interdisciplinary housing research projects, integrating policy analysis with economic and demographic data, spatial analyses, industry reports, and other sources of information. The Housing Economist will also support communications and outreach that foster broader engagement with DU’s housing work.
• Engagement: The Housing Economist would be expected to participate in events sponsored by the RMLUI, Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, and the Scrivner Institute for Public Policy, share their research in writing and through presentations, contribute to the intellectual life of the University of Denver, and advance beneficial policy solutions in collaboration with other interested stakeholders.

Secondary Functions

• Industry Presentations: The Housing Economist will become a subject matter expert and be prepared to present to large and small audiences.
• Teaching: The faculty will have opportunities to guest lecture in various programs across campus. Additionally, there will be opportunities to teach in the Executive Certificate in Affordable Housing, the Burns School of Real Estate and other units at DU at extra compensation at the DU adjunct rates.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Willingness to focus on Colorado’s housing market and develop as a subject matter expert.
• Ability to write and present for a wide variety of audiences, ranging from local economic and real estate professionals to industry leaders and government officials.
• Experience with economic forecasting.
• High standard of excellence and research integrity; outstanding judgement dependability and professionalism.
• Able to perform independently and as part of a multidisciplinary collaborative team.
• Ability to mentor and supervise direct reports
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines.
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools and aptitude for mastering supportive technologies, including a commitment to manage operation of the Terner Housing Policy Simulator.
• Understanding of issues of equity and sustainability and their intersection with housing.
• Strong communication and leadership skills

Required Qualifications

• At least a Masters Degree but a Doctorate degree in economics is preferred with primary focus on housing and real estate markets
• Six years or more of progressively responsible applied research experience in housing economics delivering actionable research insights

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent analytical skills, including knowledge of research design, econometric analysis and best practices in summarizing and visualizing economic data in easy-to-understand ways.
• Working proficiency in econometric, analytical software and/or GIS, including coding skills and familiarity with tools like Python.
• Strong, applied understanding of the macroeconomic and institutional drivers of housing markets, including demographics, household formation and composition, employment, and government regulations. Ability to synthesize these to explain housing market dynamics.

Work Schedule

While the University's administrative offices are open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, faculty schedules vary from term to term and are based on courses taught, service commitments, and research agendas. The University's academic calendars are posted on the registrar's website (the law school is on a semester system and has a different academic calendar).

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 11:59PM (MST) April 15, 2026.

Salary Grade Number

The salary grade for the position is UC.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $150,000-$180,000

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.