Our research

UNSW School of Risk and Actuarial Studies is home to leading researchers in a wide range of areas of insurance and actuarial science with a focus on modelling, measuring, and managing risks. 

The School has won high international recognition for research excellence in the following areas and ramifications: 

• Risk theory (ruin theory, optimal control, credibility theory) 
• Insurance analytics (predictive analytics, machine learning, insurance capital, risk reserve, behavioural insurance, solvency analysis) 
• Quantitative risk management (risk measures, extremes, systemic risk, quantitative finance, derivative pricing, credit risk, dependence) 
• Health and mortality modelling (mortality risk, demographics, long term care, biometric risk) 
• Retirement risk management (longevity risk, lifecycle modelling and optimization, behavioural retirement finance, pension economics, retirement financial products) 

In the UNL global rankings, the School continues to be ranked number 1 on the list of the top 50 business schools worldwide, based on the number of papers published in leading insurance and actuarial journals during recent years. Despite the current challenging situation, the School has been extremely successful in obtaining external research funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Society of Actuaries (SOA), among others. 

We are actively engaged with the research community both nationally and internationally via organising conferences and serving on the editorial boards of leading journals in insurance and actuarial science. A number of academic staff of the School are also affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing and Research (CEPAR) as chief or associated investigators. 

The School has set its ambition to become a world’s leading institution in actuarial science.  This ambition aligns with the UNSW 2025 Strategy by producing world-leading research (Academic Excellence), establishing partnership with the financial and insurance industries (Social Engagement), and liaising with global knowledge networks (Global Impact). 

Staff within our School are regularly active in conducting research in a wide range of areas of insurance and actuarial science with a focus on modelling, measuring, and managing risks. The risk management and actuarial studies programs are also active at an international level in its research excellence.