Avis Devine

Associate Professor of Real Estate
Harvard Graduate School of Design

Dr. Avis Devine is Associate Professor of Real Estate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Cincinnati, an MBA from Duquesne University, and a B.Sc. from Westminster College. She comes to Harvard from York University’s Schulich School of Business, where she was Associate Professor, Real Estate Finance and Sustainability (tenured). Prior to her academic career, she worked in commercial real estate finance, underwriting, and valuation.

Professor Devine’s expertise sits at the intersection of real estate finance, sustainability, and organizational strategy. Her research primarily investigates the financial and environmental performance of sustainable investment within the commercial real estate sector. Her work is broadly published in leading peer-reviewed economics, finance, and sustainable development journals, including Energy Economics, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, and Journal of Regional Science. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with such awards as the Nick Tyrrell Research Prize in Real Estate Investment.

Professor Devine regularly collaborates on interdisciplinary projects with scholars and industry partners, contributing to a broader understanding of how sustainable investment and climate-related risks shape financial outcomes, portfolio strategy, and the built environment. She has received multiple research grants from academic and industry organizations and is currently engaged in projects examining the efficacy of green bond use of proceeds, the relationship between institutional ownership and carbon emissions in the energy sector, and office leasing impacts of remote and hybrid work on sustainable building adoption and commuting carbon emissions.

Professor Devine plays an active role in shaping sustainability discourse within the real estate sector and beyond. She has served on advisory boards for the International WELL Building Institute, BOMA Canada, RealPAC, and serves on the Real Estate Research Institute board of directors. She has crafted and frequently taught in real estate executive education programs and presents on sustainable real estate investment to corporations and real estate industry audiences worldwide. Her public presence before industry and academic audiences alike has been widely recognized with citations in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Commercial Property Executive, and The Financial Post.