If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Change It: The Importance of Data to Improve Sustainability in the Built World

Dr. Andrea Chegut is the Director oftheMITReal Estate Innovation Lab, which investigates innovative products and technologies, financial value, and economic growth impacts in the built environment. The lab is an interdisciplinary group of computational designers, urban planners, economists and statisticians that work to understand change in cities. Dr. Chegutalso heads entrepreneurial research for DesignX, a venture accelerator for student and faculty firms from MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning that focuses on design, cities and the built environment. She holds the position of Research Scientist at MIT based on her academic research in asset pricing of innovative commercial and residential real estate products, entrepreneurial firm performance, and technological progress in the built environment. Additionally, Dr. Cheguthas a PhD in financial economics with a concentration in real estate and has worked at the intersection of innovation, urban economics and real estate for over a decade.In addition to research, Dr. Chegutteaches classes on technology and innovation, finance, data science and machine learning at MIT. Prior to her work at MIT, Andrea had a career in securities asset pricing, mortgage back securitization and worked across Europe on developing asset pricing models for commercial real estate, green buildings and digital infrastructure.

Catalyzing at the cutting edge of healthy and sustainable buildings and communities. From research to non-profit work, from startups to corporates, I work wherever I can have a large scale impact. Carrying a special torch for human-centered building operations and design.