The Center for Housing Research and Innovative Solutions

The Center for Housing Research and Innovative Solutions (CHRIS) at the University of Denver is the first center of its kind in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West — an interdisciplinary hub for housing research, data, policy evaluation, and education. Bringing together expertise in real estate, land use law, public policy, and social sciences, CHRIS produces rigorous, nonpartisan research spanning the full housing continuum — from deeply affordable to market-rate, rental to homeownership — with a focus on production and preservation, affordability, and resilience.

CHRIS applies innovative research methods, policy tools, and technologies, including in emerging areas like industrialized construction, to expand what's possible for how housing is built, financed, accessed, and preserved. Through policy evaluation, comparative research, and market analytics, CHRIS translates evidence into practical, forward-looking solutions for policymakers, practitioners, and communities, while building regional data infrastructure that strengthens housing decision-making across Colorado and the region. CHRIS also advances the next generation of housing leaders through research training, applied learning opportunities, and executive education for practitioners and policymakers.

Housed in the Office of the Provost, CHRIS provides central leadership, infrastructure, and accountability while drawing on faculty expertise from across the University, including the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, the Sturm College of Law, the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, and the Graduate School of Social Work. The Center partners closely with governments, nonprofits, philanthropy, and the private sector to evaluate housing policies, analyze market dynamics, and identify evidence-based solutions.

Daniels College of Business

DU is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region and is classified as an R1 Doctoral/Research University. U.S. News and Times Higher Education have consistently ranked DU among the nation’s top 100 universities, while Princeton Review named DU as the university most loved by its students.

The Daniels College of Business is one of the largest colleges within the University, offering a variety of majors and minors, including nine bachelor’s degrees, four MBA degree programs, seven specialized master’s programs and an Executive PhD program. Daniels was founded in 1908—the eighth-oldest collegiate business program in the United States. It has held AACSB accreditation since 1923. U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Financial Times, Forbes, and Poets & Quants routinely recognize Daniels programs as among the best in the country. We transform lives, organizations, and communities through educational experiences, outreach, and knowledge creation.

The City of Denver is home to more than 40,000 businesses and is a fertile environment for entrepreneurs and startups. It has abundant sunshine, one of the country’s largest city park systems, an impressive craft beer scene, and ample access to outdoor activities. All of it is easily accessible from the DU campus. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, the nation’s largest city park system, and a thriving business community, a Pew Research Study lists Denver as the #1 city in which people want to live.

Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management

The Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management is founded on the full life cycle of the built environment. Students are prepared to fill an increasingly important role as an integrated project leader and acquire a cohesive understanding of the built environment in addition to the specific educational discipline of their choice. The foundation of the Burns School is the integration of academic and scholarly real estate and construction management knowledge with issues of real-world application. The Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management offers a Master of Science in Real Estate and the Built Environment (REBE) and an undergraduate major in Real Estate and Construction Management in the Colleges Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program, as well as minors with concentrations in Real Estate Finance and Investments, Real Estate Development and Construction Management. The Burns School offers rigorous academic instruction, enjoys strong industry support, and has eight full-time faculty members. The Burns School is recognized as an innovative leader in Real Estate and Construction Management. In the context of housing access and affordability, the School is working across the University of Denver to identify ambitious, yet pragmatic solutions to today’s most pressing housing challenges, supported by rigorous, action-oriented research.

Position Summary

The Housing Economist will hold a faculty research appointment (non-tenure track) in the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management and will serve as CHRIS's lead economist and methodologist. The Housing Economist will report directly to the Executive Director of CHRIS, with a dotted-line relationship to the Director of the Burns School to support their faculty appointment and integration into the Burns School community.

Working closely with the CHRIS Executive Director and in partnership with faculty and researchers across Burns and the broader University, the Housing Economist will lead and publish peer-reviewed and applied policy research focused on housing economics and  real estate markets and provide methodological leadership across CHRIS’s research portfolio. The Housing Economist will also 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. 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, and the effect of housing and land use policies and regulations on housing markets and affordability.

Essential Functions

• Research: The Housing Economist will serve as CHRIS's lead economist and methodologist — publishing peer-reviewed and applied policy research in housing economics and real estate markets, developing and applying Terner Labs' Housing Policy Simulator for Colorado communities, serving as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on sponsored grants and research projects, and advising CHRIS-affiliated researchers and staff on research design, econometrics, and causal inference methods. The Housing Economist will supervise graduate research assistants and collaborate with faculty across 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 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 CHRIS, the Burns School, and other partners across DU, 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.

Required  Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in economics, public policy or a related field with primary focus on housing and/or real estate markets
• Six years or more of progressively responsible applied research experience in housing economics, delivering actionable research insights
• Demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications in economics, real estate, or related academic journals
• Strong methodological expertise in econometrics and causal inference research design

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.
• Knowledge of best practices and experience 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.
• 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.
• Understanding of issues of equity and sustainability and their intersection with housing.
• Strong communication and leadership skills

Application Deadline

For consideration, application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (MST) September 18, 2026.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

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.

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Cover Letter
3. Industry Research/White Papers Published
4. Names and contact information of three individuals who can serve as references

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history and National Sex Offender Registry background check.