About WatRISQ | WatRISQ | University of Waterloo

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The IQFI was established in 2004 to create a unique centre for research and advanced training in quantitative finance and risk management at the University of Waterloo. The Institute coordinates the University's related research activities in finance, mathematics, scientific computing and actuarial science. Twenty-three faculty members and forty graduate students from seven Departments or Schools are associated with Institute. The IQFI enhances teaching and research in these areas by providing financial support for new faculty positions, funding projects involving IQFI researchers, facilitating short- and longer-term visits by prominent researchers and practitioners, and providing support for graduate students.

The IQFI was created through support from the Ontario government and matching private sector support. The purpose of the funding program is to promote research excellence in the province of Ontario by increasing the research and development capacity of Ontario universities through private and public sector partnerships. Specific aims are: to promote world class research, to increase the number of highly qualified graduates from Ontario universities, and to improve Ontario's ability to attract and retain outstanding researchers.

Activities of the Institute

The IQFI promotes collaboration and co-operation among its researchers and private sector partners through conferences, seminars, and meetings. It also enhances the research environment at Waterloo through its sponsorship of seminars and by providing post-graduate scholarships to attract the best students to related academic programs. In this way the Institute helps to increase the supply of highly qualified graduates in the risk management and insurance disciplines. The University of Waterloo is Ontario's major supplier of highly skilled graduates in actuarial science and it houses Canada's premier masters degree program in quantitative finance.

Board of Directors

The Board is responsible for the overall operations and planning of the IQFI, in line with its stated objectives, and advises on the research agenda. The academic members of the IQFI Board are pleased to work with these current industry members:

Bernard Naumann - Senior Vice-President, Individual Reinsurance, Munich Reinsurance Company, Canada Branch (Life)

Ty Faulds - Vice President and Corporate Actuary, London Life Insurance Company

Houben Huang - Vice-President, Model Risk and Vetting, Enterprise Risk & Portfolio Management, BMO Financial Group

Brian O'Donnell - Senior Vice President and CFO, Treasury, Balance Sheet and Risk Management, Finance, CIBC