UTEP Ranked 6th in World for Real Estate Research
Faculty named fourth worldwide
EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 8, 2024) – The University of Texas at El Paso is home to some of the top real estate researchers, and their work is being recognized on a global scale in the latest Real Estate Academic Leadership (REAL) Rankings.
UTEP tied for sixth out of 528 institutions in real estate research, an increase from 13th place in 2021. Zifeng Feng, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, tied for fourth worldwide out of 1,037 individual researchers for his contributions to the field. The results are published in the Journal of Real Estate Literature from the American Real Estate Society.
The rankings are based on the number of articles accepted to the top three real estate research journals: Journal of Real Estate Research, Real Estate Economics and The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. A total of 662 articles were considered for the listings.
“These rankings indicate the breadth and depth of real estate research conducted here at UTEP,” said John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., interim dean of the Woody L. Hunt College of Business at UTEP. “As a world dependent on real estate, from homes to work, this research will surely have an indelible impact on the industry.”
UTEP faculty are unique in that they approach their analysis with a bicultural, binational lens, Hadjimarcou said. Recent real estate research conducted at UTEP includes analyses of commercial real estate at the portfolio level, climate change solution policy and the impact on local real estate of moving manufacturing operations to Mexico from El Paso, including mortgage rates and property values for warehouse spaces, based on border-specific data.
Feng’s research places an emphasis on commercial real estate. Most recently, he has published papers on real estate investment trusts, the economy’s effect on commercial property performance and even the relevant uses of ChatGPT. As an assistant professor at the only accredited business college on the U.S.-Mexico border, Feng is proud to rank so high and receive this honor from REAL.
“To be on these rankings is not easy,” Feng said. “It feels empowering, but at the same time, I am grateful to my network of co-authors for their contributions.”
In 2021, UTEP began offering a minor in real estate through the Hunt College of Business, allowing students the opportunity to complete four courses that were designed based on substantial input from industry leaders. To learn more about UTEP’s real estate program and research, click here.
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 172 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on February 08, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published February 08, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
