Benjamin Avanzi (PhD, Actuary SAA, FIAA, CERA, GAICD) is Professor of Actuarial Studies at the University of Melbourne and a Swiss and Australian actuary. After a PhD at the University of Lausanne, work in group life insurance and chairing a Swiss pension fund, he held academic positions at UNSW (2008–2013), the Université de Montréal (2013–2015) and UNSW again (2015–2020), before joining Melbourne in 2020. With students, colleagues and industry partners, he develops statistical and machine-learning models for claims reserving, dependence and capital, and the climate and disaster risks facing insurers, households and communities. This joint work has won two Hachemeister Prizes from the Casualty Actuarial Society, a Highly Commended Paper Prize from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, the Taylor Fry General Insurance Seminar Silver Prize, and the Melville and Carol Dolan Actuaries Summit Prizes. From January 2027 he leads BRACE, a University of Melbourne research laboratory on financing disaster resilience and adaptation. He is an Editor of ASTIN Bulletin, an Associate Editor of Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and a Non-Executive Director of the Theatre Royal, Hobart.
Interests
- Actuarial Studies
- Risk Management
- Disaster Finance
- Insurance capital
- Machine Learning
Education
FIAA | Australian Actuaries Institute CERA | CERA Global Association GAICD | Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Actuary SAA | Swiss Association of Actuaries PhD in Actuarial Science | University of Lausanne Lic Oec in Business, major in Actuarial Science | University of Lausanne