Meet the Joint Venture Team

Issi Romem

Affiliated Researcher, Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies

Issi Romem headshot Dr. Issi Romem is an affiliate researcher and economic advisor to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies, providing expertise in the areas of housing and growth.

Romem is the founder of MetroSight, and a fellow at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at U.C. Berkeley. He has served as Chief Economist of Trulia and Senior Director of Housing & Urban Economics at Zillow. His research on metropolitan growth patterns, construction trends and housing has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and more. He regularly speaks at industry and research forums.

Previously, Romem served as Chief Economist of BuildZoom, advised the Rentonomics team at Apartment List, and worked as an economist at OnPoint Analytics and the Bay Area Council. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University, and a Ph.D. in economics from U.C. Berkeley, where he has also taught econometrics as an adjunct professor.