About this episode

Dale Hall interviews the winning team of the 2026 Student Research Case Study Challenge, discussing their experiences and insights.

In this episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Insights Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the SOA Research Institute, speaks with the winning team of the 2026 Student Research Case Study Challenge from the University of New South Wales in Kensington, Australia: Vihaan Jain, Sarina Truong, Carol Zhang, Liya Ruan and Alan Steny. They are joined by Lisa Schilling, Director of Practice Research, who shares perspective on the development and coordination of the annual challenge. The conversation highlights how the winning team formed, what they learned from the experience, how they balanced the challenge with coursework and how they navigated the rigor of the competition. Listeners will also hear advice for future participants and gain insight into the volunteer-led effort behind the Student Research Case Study Challenge. Learn more about the SOA Research Institute's Student Research Case Study Challenge by visiting SOA.org, navigating to the Research Institute section and selecting Research Opportunities. There, listeners can explore finalist papers, participating teams, submissions and challenge materials.

People in this episode

Host: Dale Hall

Guests: Vihaan Jain, Sarina Truong, Carol Zhang, Liya Ruan, Alan Steny

Topics covered

• student research
• case study challenge
• actuarial science
• education
• competition
• teamwork

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society of Actuaries, University of New South Wales

Places: Kensington, Australia

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