B
rent Ambrose, a professor of real estate in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State, has been awarded the 2025 President's Award for Excellence in Academic Integration. This honor recognizes a faculty member who excels in integrating teaching, research, and service.

    Ambrose is the Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and director of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies. He is an expert in real estate finance, corporate finance, and fixed income security analysis, using his expertise to inform public policy and support those affected by mortgage defaults and foreclosures.

    As a respected advisor, Ambrose has worked with government agencies such as HUD, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Congressional Budget Office on critical issues like FHA mortgage default impacts and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac privatization. He is also a past president of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.

    One notable research project for HUD developed innovative methods to detect housing market discrimination, building on Ambrose's work on racial bias in property appraisals with former doctoral students. "Brent combines his expertise and leadership to advance critical knowledge in the public sector while fostering student engagement in impactful policy-relevant research," a former student noted.

    As head of the doctoral program, Ambrose has transformed the real estate option into one of the country's most respected programs. He has chaired 16 dissertation committees, with his students now holding faculty positions at leading universities nationwide. Through initiatives like the Real Estate Boot Camp and the Smeal REIT Stock Pitch Competition, Ambrose connects students with industry leaders and fosters real-world applications.

    Ambrose leads the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies (BIRES), a research institution that brings together academics and business professionals to discuss and advance knowledge in real estate. His contributions have significantly impacted the field of real estate and had a profound effect on the academic community, profession, and public.