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SOA Names 2019—2020 James C. Hickman Scholars

Schaumburg, IL (June 6, 2019) – The Society of Actuaries (SOA) congratulate this year’s five SOA James C. Hickman Scholars. Each recipient will receive a $20,000 stipend for the 2019—2020 academic year. The recipients were chosen from a significant number of highly qualified applicants currently in (or applying to) actuarial science (or a related field) doctoral programs in the United States or Canada. Recipients have made good progress toward, or have already attained, an actuarial designation, such as associate (ASA) or fellow (FSA). 

The 2019—2020 SOA Hickman Scholars are:

  • Jean-Thomas Baillargeon, FSA, CERA (Université Laval)
  • Roba Bairakdar, ASA (Concordia University)
  • Banghee So, ASA (University of Connecticut)
  • Gabrielle Trudeau (HEC Montréal)
  • Abylay Zhexembay (University of Iowa)

In addition, ten Hickman Scholars had their $20,000 stipends renewed for the 2019—2020 academic year:

  • Ahmed Ahmed, FSA (University of Chicago)
  • Nicholas Beck (McGill University)
  • Jingyi Cao, ASA (University of Waterloo)
  • Ou Dang, FSA, FCIA (University of Waterloo)
  • Mingyu Fang, FSA, ACIA (University of Waterloo)
  • Tsz Chai Fung, ASA, ACIA (University of Toronto)
  • Lisa Gao, ASA (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
  • Himchan Jeong, FSA (University of Connecticut)
  • Adolph Okine (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
  • Shuai Yang, ASA, ACIA (University of Toronto)

The SOA Board of Directors established the SOA James C. Hickman Scholars program to increase the number of academic actuaries who hold a Ph.D. and an actuarial designation; and who intend to pursue academic careers in the United States or Canada. The program provides stipends to doctoral candidates who will, through their studies and careers, address research and education needs of the profession.

The SOA Board named its doctoral stipend program in memory of James C. Hickman, FSA, former dean of the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Business. During his more than 40-year academic career, Hickman made numerous contributions to teaching, research and scholarship, including co-authorship of the Actuarial Mathematics textbook. He also served the profession as a member of the SOA Board of Governors and trustee of The Actuarial Foundation, among other volunteer roles.

About The SOA

With roots dating back to 1889, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) is the world’s largest actuarial professional organization with more than 30,000 actuaries as members. Through research and education, the SOA's mission is to advance actuarial knowledge and to enhance the ability of actuaries to provide expert advice and relevant solutions for financial, business and societal challenges. The SOA's vision is for actuaries to be the leading professionals in the measurement and management of risk. www.SOA.org