
MSc, PhD Economics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Katja Hanewald is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Risk and Actuarial Studies and the Coordinator of the Actuarial Co-op Program at UNSW Sydney. She is also the Director of Research of the Ageing Asia Research Hub, which is hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). Her research addresses risk management and insurance responses to population ageing. Katja has published in all leading international insurance and actuarial journals (including the Journal of Risk and Insurance, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics and the ASTIN Bulletin) and several major economics journals (including the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization). Her current research investigates optimal retirement financial decisions of older households and the design of retirement financial products such as reverse mortgages, long-term care insurance, and annuities. She teaches risk management courses.
Before rejoining UNSW in 2016, Katja held academic positions at the University of New South Wales (2011-2013) and at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany (2008-2010). She worked for the German Federal Ministry of Finance from 2013 to 2015. Katja obtained her doctoral degree from the School of Business and Economics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in November 2010.
Research interests:
External funding
2020 |
Household Capital Pty Ltd, Research Services Agreement, “Reverse mortgage demand: The role of mental accounting”, AU$11,000 |
2018 |
Society of Actuaries, Research Funding, “Constructing Occupation-Specific Life Tables for China”, with H. Li and P. Liao, US$24,441 |
2017 |
University of Pennsylvania, Quartet Pilot Award, “Long-Term Care Financing using Home Equity Release”, with H. Fang and S. Wu, US$37,500 |
2017 |
Phoenix Healthcare Finance Research Center, Tsinghua University, Research Grant, “Demand for Home Equity Release Products in China”, with H. Fang, RMB100,000 |
Internal funding
2017 - present |
UNSW Sydney Scientia PhD Scholarships (as supervisor) 2020-2023 – 2 Scientia PhD Scholarships, “Long-Term Care Insurance and Services in China,” with B. Li and H. Bateman, AU$410,000 2017-2021 – Scientia PhD Scholarships, “Behavioural Insights for Retirement Financial Planning in China,” with H. Bateman and H. Fang, AU$400,000 |
2019 - present |
UNSW Business School, UNSW Sydney Health@Business Research Network 2020 - Seed Funding, “Intrinsic capacity: Validation of a new WHO concept for Healthy Ageing,” with L. Chenoweth, AUD$14,700 Linkage Research Seed Funds 2019-2020 - “Reverse mortgage demand: The role of mental accounting,” with H. Bateman, J. Funder, and D. Cash, AU$40,000 |
2016 - present |
ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) Summer Research Scholarships (as supervisor) 2020 - "Does the Gender-Concordance effect exists in long-term care?”, with Y. Deng, AU$5,000 2019 - “Life satisfaction of older Chinese: Understanding the regional variations,” with S. Yang, AU$5,000 2018 - “Life-cycle modelling for optimal retirement spending in countries with less developed social security systems,” AU$5,00 2017 - “Conditional life expectancy comparisons using a semi-parametric trending panel model approach,” with H. Li, AU$4,400 2016 - “Measuring Population Ageing and Ageing-Readiness of Chinese Provinces,” AU$4,400; “Inequalities in Healthy Life Expectancy Across Chinese Provinces” with S. Wu and H. Li, AU$4,400 Other funding 2020 - Associate Investigator Funding, An experimental study of the demand for bundled longevity and health insurance products,” AU$20,000 2017 - Research Grant, “The Role of Home Equity for Retirement Financial Planning in China,” with H. Bateman and H. Fang, AU$30,000 |
2009-2010 |
Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, 2010 - Travel Grant for a 3-months research stay at UC Berkeley, US$5,000 2009 - Workshop Grant, with A. Mysickova, €4,000 |
2018 |
Silverstar Award, by the UNSW Business School, AU$20,000 |
2017 |
Silverstar Award, by the UNSW Business School, AU$20,000 |
2014 |
Bob Alting von Geusau Prize, by the AFIR-ERM Section of the International Actuarial Association, with M. Nirmalendran and M. Sherris, CA$5,000 |
2012 |
Melville Financial Services Prize, by the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, with M. Nirmalendran and M. Sherris, AU$4,500 |
2006 - 2007 |
Scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes), monthly allowance |