Only At Stern: Professor Sam Chandan, A Leading Voice in Real Estate Finance
NYU Stern Professor Sam Chandan is the Founding Director of the School’s Chao-Hon Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance and a leading voice in real estate finance.
The Chen Institute was established in 2022 with a $20 million gift from alumnus and Stern Executive Board member Charles C.Y. Chen (MBA ’91) and is home to Stern’s applied real estate research initiatives, industry and policy engagement, and undergraduate and MBA real estate programs. At its launch, the Chen Institute further strengthened Stern’s global leadership in the field by building on a decade of research and industry engagement through the Center for Real Estate Finance, which is now a foundational pillar of the Institute. Professor Chandan has quickly made an impact in his role with the Chen Institute, including increasing relevant classes by 40%, leading immersive global MBA courses, appointing executives-in-residence, launching new advisory and alumni boards and organizing national and global conferences.
In December 2024, Dr. Chandan co-authored a new framework in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Chen Institute. The framework addresses actionable priorities for governments, businesses, and society to achieve a more resilient, sustainable, and affordable built environment. He discussed the findings at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos.
Professor Chandan has held editorial board appointments with the Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics; Real Estate Finance; Commercial Real Estate Finance World; and Summit Journal.
He also founded and is global chair of the Real Estate Pride Council, is a member of the Real Estate Executive Council, and founded the National Symposium of Women in Real Estate.
Before joining Stern, Professor Chandan was the Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair and Academic Dean of the Schack Institute of Real Estate at the NYU School of Professional Studies. He is also Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Chandan Economics, an economic advisory and data science firm serving the institutional real estate industry. And outside of his industry-leading work, Professor Chandan also volunteers as a firefighter and advises Stern’s Rugby Club.
Learn more in this video and below:
Selection of recent media highlights featuring Professor Sam Chandan:
- Marketplace | “Home Prices Continued to Rise in December.” | 2/25/2025
- The New York Times | “How Can I Lower My Climate Risk When Buying a House?” | 2/24/2025
- Commercial Observer | “Interest Rates in 2025: Where Are They Headed?” | 1/6/2025
- Bisnow | “A Seismic Generational Shift Is Afoot Among New York's Real Estate Stalwarts.” | 11/12/2023
- Washington Post | “How Real Estate Commissions Work and Why They Might Get Lower.” | 11/2/2023
- Associated Press | “WeWork, Shortly After Warning About its Future, Seeks to Renegotiate Nearly all of its Leases.” | 9/6/2023
- Commercial Observer | “How Sam Chandan Became the Go-To Economist for CRE’s Elite.” | 6/28/2023
- Wall Street Journal podcast | "How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes Made by Homebuyers." | 4/21/2023
- BBC | "The New Yorkers in Crisis over Skyrocketing Rents." | 6/1/2022
- Axios | “Why the Rental Housing Market is so Deeply Broken.” | 8/20/2022
Recent Speaking Engagement from Professor Chandan
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2025 “Private for Longer”
Professor Chandan's policy impact:
Professor Chandan is a fellow or member of several leading groups and councils advising on policy matters, including:
- the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- the Royal Society for Public Health
- the Royal Society of Medicine
- the Real Estate Research Institute
He has held an honorary appointment as the Economist Laureate of the Real Estate Lenders Association and has served on the real estate advisory council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.