Wisconsin Real Estate PhD Alumni Conference
Join us on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus for a special gathering of the Wisconsin Real Estate PhD community—bringing together alumni, faculty, and current doctoral students for a rare opportunity to reconnect, exchange ideas and showcase leading-edge research. Held May 31 – June 1, 2026 at Grainger Hall, the conference will blend thoughtful academic discussion with time to socialize, reflect on the program’s impact, and strengthen the lifelong connections that define Wisconsin’s real estate network.
Sunday, May 31 – Monday, June 1
| Sunday, May 31st, 2026 I Room 4151 Grainger Hall | |
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| 12:00pm – 1:00pm | Lunch and Registration |
| 1:00pm – 1:15pm | Welcome and Opening Remarks, Chris Timmins, Dept. of Real Estate & Urban Land Economics, UW-Madison |
| 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Faculty Alumni Reflections on the RE Program Speakers: – Richard Green, University of Southern California – Steve Malpezzi, Weimer School of the Hoyt Institute – Kerry Vandell, University of California, Irvine |
| 2:15pm – 2:30pm | Break |
| Session I: Mortgage Market Chair: Yongheng Deng | |
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| 2:30pm – 3:15pm | Yongqiang Chu, UNC Charlotte Paper: Partisan Loan Officers and the Racial Gap in Mortgage Lending Commentator: Dayin Zhang, UW-Madison |
| 3:15pm – 4:00pm | Jun Zhu, Indiana University Paper: Unawareness, Impatience, and Mental Cost in Mortgage Refinancing Decisions Commentator: Heejin Yoon, UW-Madison/Baruch College, CUNY |
| 4:00pm – 4:15pm | Break |
| Session II: Real Estate Investment Chair: Kerry Vandell | |
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| 4:15pm – 5:00pm | Da Li, University of Cincinnati Paper: Persistently Poor Performance in Private Equity Real Estate Commentator: So Hye Yoon, Princeton/UW-Madison |
| 5:00pm – 5:45pm | Jacques Gordon, University of Wisconsin-Madison Paper: Non-Core Real Estate Returns: An Empirical Approach Commentator: Sean Flynn, Cornell/UW-Madison |
| 6:00pm – 7:00pm | Reception and Dinner @ Fluno Center |
| 7:00pm – 9:00pm | Dinner and Sharing Memories |
| Monday, June 1st, 2026 | |
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| 7:30am – 8:30am | Coffee & Light Breakfast |
| 8:30am – 8:45am | Dean Samba’s Opening Remarks |
| Session III: Housing Affordability Chair: Kerry Vandell | |
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| 8:45am – 9:30am | Lingxiao Li, Cal State Fullerton Paper: Enable Market to Supply Affordable Housing? Evidence from the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Policy in Germany Commentator:Richard Green, USC |
| 9:30am – 10:15am | Yuwen Ji, University of Wisconsin-Madison Paper: Bank Regulation and Affordable Housing Supply Commentator: Ben Couillard, Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation |
| 10:15am – 10:30am | Break |
| Session IV: Homeownership Chair: Steve Malpezzi | |
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| 10:30am – 11:15am | Shengwei Guo, University of Hong Kong Paper: The Disutility of Home Sales Loss Commentator: Alina Arefeva, UW-Madison |
| 11:15am – 12:00pm | Zhenguo (Len) Lin, Florida International University Paper: Student Loans and Homeownership Commentator: Michael LaCour-Little, Cal State Fullerton |
| 12:00pm – 1:15pm | Lunch |
| Session V: Housing Market Chair: Richard Green | |
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| 1:15pm – 2:00pm | Congyan Han, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) Paper: Estimating Benefits and Costs of Land Development Commentator: Steve Malpezzi, Weimer School of Hoyt Institute |
| 2:00pm – 2:45pm | Daisy Zhan & Shang Zeng, University of Wisconsin-Madison Paper: Where Should I Move? Commentator: Lu Han, UW-Madison |
| 2:45pm – 2:55pm | Concluding Remarks |
Speakers
Alina Arefeva
Assistant Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Yongqiang Chu
Director, Childress Klein Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Urban Economics, UNC Charlotte
Ben Couillard
Postdoctorate, Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, University of Chicago
Yongheng Deng
John P. Morgridge Distinguished Chair Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Sean Flynn
Assistant Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Jacques Gordon
Director, Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, Wisconsin School of Business
Richard Green
Professor & Director, Lusk Center for Real Estate, University of Southern California
Shengwei Guo
Assistant Professor, Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong
Congyan Han
Assistant Professor of Finance, Dishui Lake Advanced Finance Institute, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE)
Lu Han
Nathan F. Brand Chair & Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
So Hye Yoon
Assistant Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Yuwen Ji
PhD Student, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Michael LaCour-Little
Professor of Finance-Emeritus , California State University Fullerton
Da Li
Assistant Professor, Department of Finance, University of Cincinnati
Lingxiao Li
Professor of Finance, College of Business and Economics, California State University, Fullerton
Zhenguo Lin
Professor, Tibor and Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate, Florida International University
Stephen Malpezzi
Dean, Weimer School of Advanced Real Estate Studies, Rutgers University
Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy
Dean, Wisconsin School of Business
Christopher Timmins
Department Chair & Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Kerry Vandell
Dean’s Professor of Real Estate, Emeritus, UC Irvine
Abdullah Yavas
Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Heejin Yoon
PhD Student, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Shang Zeng
PhD Student, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Daisy Zhan
PhD Student, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Dayin Zhang
Assistant Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics, Wisconsin School of Business
Jun Zhu
Clinical Associate Professor of Finance, Indiana University – Kelley School of Business
Lodging
A room block is being held at the Fluno Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Fluno Center
Fluno Center
601 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53715
Telephone: 877-773-5866 or 608-441-7117
Parking
Parking is available at the Fluno Center or at Grainger Hall (Lot 7). More information to come.