The Wisconsin School of Business welcomes Yongheng Deng, a professor in the Department of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics. Originally from Shanghai, China, Deng obtained a B.A. in maritime economics from Shanghai Maritime University in 1983, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. He was an economist with the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), a U.S. federal regulator in Washington, D.C. that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Prior to WSB, Deng was a provost’s chair professor and the director of the Institute of Real Estate Studies at the National University of Singapore.
Professor Deng shares his thoughts on joining WSB and the University of Wisconsin–Madison community below.
WSB: How did you get into your field of research?
Deng: My first job as a federal financial regulator overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got me into the current field of research. I wanted to better understand the housing markets (e.g., how the bubbles in the market are built up, etc.) and real estate capital markets (e.g., how to help more people access the financial housing market and make housing more affordable to the majority of people).
WSB: What do you hope to contribute to the Wisconsin School of Business?
Deng: My past nine years of research and education experience in Asia allow me to build up in-depth knowledge about the society, the culture, and the markets both in developed and developing countries in the other part of the globe—the Asian and Pacific Regions. The rise of Asia as an economic power carries with it many real estate implications in relation to urban development, wealth accumulation, finance, economics, demography, and environmental sustainability issues.
I hope my global perspective on real estate and urban development knowledge may help to contribute to the Wisconsin School of Business becoming a global leader in advancing thought leadership in the international business world, fostering excellence in research, education and outreach, and being the beacon for the next generation of leaders for both industries and academics around the world.
WSB: What attracted you to UW–Madison?
Deng: The quality of education and world-class colleagues who are top-notch researchers.
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