Ph.D. Candidate Xi Xin Receives 2025 American Academy of Actuaries Research Award
WASHINGTON—On July 31, 2025, American Academy of Actuaries Research Committee Chairperson Grace Lattyak presented the Academy’s 3rd annual Award for Research to Xi Xin, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New South Wales in Australia, at the Actuarial Research Conference hosted by York University in Toronto.
The award recognizes work by an early-career scholar contributing significantly to an actuarial perspective on a public policy issue of interest to U.S. actuaries and public policymakers. This year, the Academy’s Research Committee solicited submissions on the theme of “Bias in Assessing Financial Risk: Origins, Detection, Mitigation.” Xin received the award as co-author of research published in 2024 in the North American Actuarial Journal (Vol. 28, Issue 2), “Antidiscrimination Insurance Pricing: Regulations, Fairness Criteria, and Models.” The award includes a $7,500 honorarium.
Related to the award’s theme of biases that might affect actuarial assessments in insurance, retirement planning, and/or financial risk, Xin’s and co-author Fei Huang’s research proposed actuarial approaches squarely aimed to help meet insurance pricing challenges as interest in the regulation of indirect discrimination has been increasing. It posited fairness criteria, explored how they could be used relative to existing and possible regulatory approaches, and provided specific modeling examples for actuaries.
“This research made a compelling contribution that highlights the essential actuarial role in the ongoing, consequential dialogues among regulators, actuaries, and other stakeholders about the effective regulation of bias and indirect discrimination in insurance,” said Lattyak. “It fits exactly at the intersection of actuarial practice and public policy, suggesting promising new approaches.”
Award panel member and reviewer Shawna Ackerman noted, “The research not only has immediate and practical significance for better assessing potential biases for regulatory purposes, but also encourages others to explore this important research area.”
Xin and others who made submissions for the research award participated in a July 31 Academy-sponsored panel, “Bias in Assessing Financial Risk,” at the Actuarial Research Conference, where they presented their respective research.
Learn more about the award and the Academy’s public policy research program at actuary.org.
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The American Academy of Actuaries is a 20,000-member professional association whose mission is to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession. For 60 years, the Academy has assisted public policymakers on all levels by providing leadership, objective expertise, and actuarial advice on risk and financial security issues. The Academy also sets qualification, practice, and professionalism standards for actuaries in the United States.