Matthew Fienup, Ph.D.

Matthew is the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University. He is also Assistant Professor of Economics and teaches courses in Econometrics, Monetary Economics and Environmental Economics in the School’s Master of Quantitative Economics program.

Matthew is a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecasting Survey and was the recipient of a 2019 Crystal Ball Award for the Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey (formerly the Case-Schiller Home Price Expectations Survey). CERF’s U.S. home price forecast was among the five most accurate of more than 100 included in the survey. Matthew is also Project Director for the LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report, which documents the extraordinary economic contribution of Latinos in the United States.

Matthew returned to school to pursue his PhD after running a small business in Ventura County, California for more than a decade. His other specialties include California Natural History, technical rock climbing and photography. Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the Brooks Institute of Photography and has spent more than 15 years working as a professional climbing guide.

Matthew completed his doctorate in environmental economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.